


For the Love of Rancors

by Imperator_Incendia



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Angst, Armitage Hux is a Jerk, Canon Divergence - Star Wars Expanded Universe, Dom/sub, Dominant Kylo Ren, Dubious Consent, Everyone Needs A Hug, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, I'm Bad At Summaries, I'm Bad At Tagging, Inappropriate Use of the Force, Kylo Ren Being a Little Shit, Kylo Ren Has Issues, Kylo Ren Needs a Hug, Kylo Ren Throws A Tantrum, Miscarriage, My First Fanfic, OC needs a hug, POV Alternating, POV Kylo Ren, POV Original Character, POV Original Female Character, Post-Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Pre-Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Punishment, Rough Sex, Self-Harm, Self-Hatred, Shameless Smut, So Wrong It's Right, Spanking, Star Wars Universe cuss words are used, Submissive Character, Unplanned Pregnancy, Violence, come for the smut stay for the story, mostly - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-24
Updated: 2018-03-09
Packaged: 2019-03-09 00:40:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 12
Words: 28,114
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13470033
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Imperator_Incendia/pseuds/Imperator_Incendia
Summary: You are FD-2313, a female engineering technician just trying to do your job. What will happen when Hux decides to reassign you to be the personal repair technician to clean up after Kylo Ren's destructive tendencies?Note: Please read the tags. Tags are updated as new elements are added to the story. I will also put a disclosure at the beginning of a chapter if there is a possible trigger.





	1. Not Your Average Shift

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone, hopefully this doesn't suck too much, as this is the first fanfic I've ever posted. Comments are welcomed and appreciated! Updates may be infrequent, as I'm starting up my final semester of college.
> 
> Disclosure: I do not own any of these characters, they all belong to Star Wars (except for my OC). This is purely a work of fiction.

Lieutenant Ralek was terrified that he was being called for a meeting with General Hux. He had never met the man, but he previously had no reason to, as his area was to oversee a small group of Engineering Technicians. He was terrified that one of his subordinates had somehow caused a problem, and now he was going to be in the direct path of the General’s wrath. He straightened, smoothed his uniform and stepped towards the office, entering in the door’s code and walking inside. “Perfect timing, Lieutenant. I shall not waste any time. Please, take a seat.” General Hux said, red hair peeking out from under his hat, motioning to a chair. Lieutenant Ralek nodded, took a seat, and thanked the General. “I am well aware that among your Engineers, you have one who was from Dathomir; FD-2313, if I am not mistaken?” Hux said, staring at the Lieutenant. “Yes, General Hux, she is from Dathomir.” Ralek felt a lump in his throat; what had 2313 done? “Excellent. I looked over her files from her training, it seems she is very proficient with repairs, and works speedily. Would you say the same?” Hux pressed, and Ralek nodded. “She is the best technician I have.” “I wish to meet her. Is she available at present?” Hux said, standing and looking out the window of his office at the black expanse of space. “Yes, I can summon her now, General. If you do not mind me asking, what does this pertain to?” Ralek asked, afraid to question this man, but at the same time terrified for his subordinate. “I am in need of a technician to make repairs to Lord Commander Ren’s quarters. This technician will need to be on standby for any pressing damages that need to be repaired, as they can occur quite frequently. I need to test her mettle before I send her into that monster’s den, as he is very unpredictable. Dathomir is a hostile planet, and I hope her experiences growing up on such a world would allow her to steel herself against the Commander while doing her job. I cannot afford to keep losing technicians due to their fear.” General Hux stated, still unmoving from the window. “Is FD-2313 to know of this?” Ralek asked, and Hux shook his head. “If 2313 knows in advance, it will likely add to her fear. That will only worsen the situation; I feel that is why the previous technicians keep failing to repair his quarters, since they are informed in advance where they are going and are already paralyzed in fear. If she is acceptable, I shall see to it that your team has a replacement within a week to cover her normal duties.” A message on Ralek’s datapad allowed him to know that 2313 was on the way, though he did not disclose any details. “When would her work begin?” Ralek asked, and Hux looked over at him: “Immediately. He destroyed a series of data panels in his room last night, but he currently is not on board the vessel. I would prefer her to complete the repairs before he returns.”

The door slid open again and Hux looked at the small technician who strode in the door, saluting him. “General. Lieutenant.” She spoke quickly, waiting for a signal for her to be at ease. “At ease, technician. I am going to ask you a series of questions, please answer honestly.” General Hux said, approaching. “Were you on Dathomir your entire life?” “Yes, General.” “Had you ever seen a Rancor?” “Yes, several times, sir. They were common on my homeworld.” “Did it frighten you?” “I was not bothering them, and they were not bothering me, so no. I was not stupid enough to disturb them.” General Hux was now walking around her, sizing her up. “Lieutenant, I wish to reassign your technician to the position I discussed with you earlier. Technician,” Hux said, turning to the small woman, “You are to begin immediately. Here is your new datapad; you will not need your old one. The location you are to repair along with its details are in the datapad. This is a confidential and demanding position that may often have you working odd hours, but you shall be compensated accordingly. Is that understood?” “Yes, General. I understand and am ready to begin whatever task you have assigned for me, sir.” She said with a nod, and Hux handed her the datapad. “Under no circumstances are you to speak to anyone about the nature of your work, is that understood?” Hux said, gaze boring holes into her. “Understood, sir.” “Good, you should begin repairing the area listed immediately. You are dismissed.” Ralek swallowed hard, knowing very well this may be the last time her ever saw 2313.

_Why did he ask me about Rancors? So odd,_ I thought casually, looking at the datapad to determine what equipment I would need to begin my task. _Three data panels? Must have been a circuit overload._ I gathered the needed tools, electronic parts and other odds and ends that may be needed and loaded up a small bag to begin my duties. Looking again at the location, I thought it to be in the area of the higher officer’s quarters, but paid it no mind. I punched in the door unlock code that had been provided via the secured datapad and made my way inside. The room was dark; cave like, almost. _Not very welcoming,_ I thought, looking around some but not wanting to pry. Hearing faint crackles, I realized the panels were likely arcing. Going into the room where the sounds were emanating, I realized this was some sort of intelligence room; there were many panels, monitors and access points that were all encrypted. I started to wonder whose room this was and then blocked out the thoughts, getting on my hands and knees to access the maintenance panel below the data bank to cut the power. Once that was finished, I began removing the badly damaged sections by taking out the bolts and pulling the panels to the side so I could access the electronics underneath. I went to take a panel off, and then paused to look at the deep gouge running through it and realized it had been… melted? _That’s odd, definitely not a circuit overload. This looks deliberate._ The circuitry below was badly damaged, but nothing that I thought couldn’t be repaired with a few parts swapped out here and there. As I pulled out pieces and put others back in, I started to notice more and more things were melted. _What the hell did this?_ I really was starting to become baffled at the amount of technology inside the panels that had been melted to one another, even to the outer plates. I had never seen anything quite like this, and knew this would take a little more time to finish once you realized I had to force some pieces out or cut them out with a plasma torch because they had been too melted to budge. As I had two of the three panels restored to operational function, I heard the outer door to the quarters open and then slam close again, and I froze, unsure if the person who just entered knew if I was making repairs. And then I saw the shadow approaching, and heard an all too ominous sound followed by a red glow. _Kriff me._

He froze almost as soon as he entered his quarters; there was someone in there. He strode forward again, more of a stalking motion than anything. He removed the lightsaber from his belt, activating the blade and rounding the corner to his surveillance room. He honestly was not expecting to see a small woman standing there, trying not to panic but at the same time packing up her tools. “Forgive me, Lord Commander. I was ordered to repair these panels. I shall come back another time and finish my work, whenever it is convenient for you.” She said, voice small, matching her stature. He did not deactivate the saber, but instead decided he would intimidate her. Perhaps if he could do so, they would just stop sending these incompetent people all together; maybe his room could truly be his own without the risk of personal invasions at the direction of that bastard Hux. Then, something he almost didn’t expect; she was thinking of Rancors. _“This is his home; if I don’t make sudden movements or eye contact, hopefully he will let me leave. I do not want to challenge him. Remember the Rancors. Just like that. Give him space.”_ He stepped forward, raising the glowing blade. Her eyes barely flicked up for a moment before dropping again, not even daring to look towards the dark mask that hid his true identity. He was intrigued, by now most had been on their knees pleading him not to kill them, but she stood her ground, unmoving. He sliced the blade into one of the terminals she had repaired, sparks showering off, some splattering on her uniform, leaving little singes. One landed on her face, her jaw clenched but she made no sound or movement whatsoever. _Impressive, she has some resolve. Perhaps they did not send an imbecile after all. But let’s test that resolve._ “0200. Do not be late. Or early.” He said, vocoder making his voice come out imposing and hiding its true quality. “By your orders, Lord Commander.” She responded, packing up the remainder of the items to bring back at a later time. “You may leave them. Now go.” He commanded, his vocoder spitting out the words with no amount of politeness. She immediately stopped what she was doing, simply replied with a “Yes Lord Commander” and departed his chamber, never once looking up at him. “Rancors,” he said aloud, smirking as he took off his helmet.


	2. Overwhelming Assignment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poor FD-2313 is in way over her head.

_Holy kriffing hell, no wonder it was melted. No wonder my job is confidential. No wonder I can’t talk about anything. No wonder I’m on standby. No wonder they’re paying me more…_ My mind kept going on with “no wonders” for several more minutes until it finally dawned on me. _Oh no. He can read minds. Or so they say. Did he hear me comparing him to a Rancor? Oh kriff, he’s going to kill me later. He just needed more time to plan out how to do it in a painful way, and of course he’d pick a time when most are asleep and would not hear my screams. Oh stars, I’m dead._ My stomach knotted, threatening to retch up your breakfast. I looked at your datapad and realized I had missed lunch; that was probably for the best. The time read 1650, and I had no idea what to do with the nine hours until I had to go back in there. I decided to go to dinner, get the nicest thing they had in the event this meal would be my last, and then sleep until 2430. That would give myself time to wake, shower quickly, and mentally prepare for the inevitable. Solid enough plan. Not like I was going to get much sleep, but I could try. To my disappointment, the dinner options provided were the same as last night, but at least I enjoyed the noodles. Despite trying, I did not feel hungry. Sighing, I went back to my small room and dressed in sleeping clothes, climbing in bed at 1900. My mind would not shut off, so I thought about Rancors again, and what I was taught about them. _They show dominance. They are territorial, and are highly aggressive if they perceive you as a threat. The key is non-defensive posturing. No threatening tones in your voice, no sudden movements._ To those words, I fell asleep.

When I awoke, I realized the alarm had not yet gone off; it was 2416. _As usual, never sleep to my alarm._ I pulled myself out of bed, the cold of the durasteel floor biting at my feet. I walked to the refresher, pulled off my sleep clothes and turned on the shower, deciding to take a nice hot shower. If this was to be my last, it would at least be a nice one. I took my time, letting the water run over my tense shoulders and tried my best to relax them. It helped some, but there was no way to really take the edge off. It was moments like this that I wished I had hidden away a bottle of Tevraki whiskey. After finishing the hot shower, I dried your hair and pulled it up in a standard bun. Dressing in a clean uniform, I looked at the datapad, the time reading 0128. It would take 11 minutes to walk from my room to his chamber. His words echoed in your head: _Do not be late. Or early._ I decided I would leave a little after 0140, because if something were to happen on the way, I would not want to be late. My stomach was churning, threating expulsion of the noodle dinner. I breathed in deeply, holding it until finally exhaling. Trying to settle into some deep breathing patterns, I managed to quell the threat of my stomach emptying itself and helped reduce some of the nerves. I stood from the bed, smoothed my light gray uniform and headed for the door. I flicked the light off and closed the door behind me, focusing on the task ahead and starting down the long empty hallway. At this time of night, there was hardly no personnel around; the night crew not needing such heavy numbers for operation, as most missions and other duties were performed during the day. As I drew closer to the room, I halted, looking at the time. 0156. I was directly across the hall from the door, but I waited. I stood some distance away, deep breathing again. 0158. I moved somewhat closer, and then I felt it. The energy coming from the room felt like pure fire. 0159. I swallowed the lump in my throat and approached the door, waiting to attempt to put the code in until it was exactly time. 0200. The door opened on its own, making me flinch slightly, my hand not even at the keypad yet. I took a breath and walked in the dark entry way, and the door shut behind me.

He saw her enter, the tiny technician from earlier. He was sitting farther in his quarters, mask off, but completely enveloped in shadow. He knew she could not see him; she could barely see anything due to the dark. She paused in the entry way, trying to allow her eyes to adjust to the dark. He was impressed that she not only had the nerve to come back, but that she waited until exactly when he told her to. He could feel her in the halls prior to her approaching the door, almost as if she was staying at a respectful distance. _Rancors,_ he mused to himself. In the time she was away, he had used his working terminal to access her files, reading everything the First Order had about her. Technician FD-2313, excelled at engineering and mechanical tasks in training, hailing from Dathomir. Height 1.57 meters, weight 53 kilograms. _Small thing,_ he mused as he had read the file, but still not discounting her. He was impressed that she had the nerves to stand perfectly still while he slashed the console, not even flinching or whimpering when the sparks hit her. He watched her now, her eyes somewhat acclimating and searching out the glow of the panels. She wandered into the surveillance room and closed the door, likely trying to ensure she would not wake him by turning on the light and also muffling any sounds of the repairs she would be making. _She is quite calm, despite her thoughts._ He stood from his chair, moving nearer to the surveillance room door. In a way, he was annoyed that she had closed the door, as he wanted to watch her. He reached his hand out and pulled his helmet off its resting place with the Force, securing it over his head and then waving a hand to open the door. As he expected, she was busy at work, doing her best to not pay him any attention. “I prefer to supervise your efforts, as others that have been sent for this task have proven quite incompetent.” He said bluntly, his vocoder making the statement even more brash. “Of course, Lord Commander. I apologize if I woke you.” Her voice, small but pleasing, came out in a bit of a rush, but she did not appear too visibly shaken. He flicked two fingers and summoned a stool from behind him, pulling it closer and sitting on it, arms folded as he watched her. He saw her eyes dart over for a flash of a second, watching the seat float over before refocusing on her task. Her hair was pulled tight, allowing a better view of the small mark from the spark earlier. “You never sought attention for your face.” He spoke, lack of emotion due to the vocoder. “No, I did not, my Lord. It is a trivial injury that I did not feel needed any attention.” She responded, still not looking his way. “Look at me.” He ordered, and she immediately stopped what she was doing, turning to him and looking at his mask. He could feel some fear beginning to take her, but also something else… that unwavering nerve was back. He stood, walking over to her. She was unmoving, and he reached forward, grasping her face. Her eyes widened and her breathing ceased, but she did nothing nor said anything. He tilted her face to one side and scrutinized the injury, noting she still had not taken a breath. “There is a metal fragment embedded in that wound. You should seek attention. And you should breath.” He said, stifling a chuckle as he released her face. “Forgive me, my Lord.” She finally said, exhaling and taking another breath, “I shall seek attention for my injury.” He stood in front of her, arms folded, studying her. She was looking to the side, not moving. “Continue,” he said, nodding to the panels.

“Yes, my Lord.” I said, no idea what to do. He was literally standing in my personal space, and it made me paranoid that I would accidentally brush him depending on what I had to move. I knew he was watching my every move. But the thing that baffled me more than anything was the fact that he _grabbed my FACE_. But not in a mean way, and he told me to get my wound checked out. The one he caused. Why? I had no clue, but it was unsettling. Was he toying with his prey before devouring it? “I am not a Rancor, and I do not eat people.” The vocoder echoed, and I immediately froze. _Oh holy kriffing hell, he did hear that. Oh kriff, he can probably hear me now. Oh I am kriffed. So very, very kriffed. I am sorry for my idiocy, I am useless._ I was breathless again, and then I heard a garbled noise from the vocoder. He was _laughing_. Oh stars, I was going to die. I decided I would go back to work; that was a constant for me, and felt very natural. I had no way of knowing what would come next, but my job was at least something I could try to use to rip my mind away from the looming black robed figure to my right, less than a foot from me. He shifted, and I felt like I was going to die. Sweat was forming on the back of my neck, and I felt my neck grow tighter; was that me or was he doing that? I was not sure, and then his hand rested on the console beside my arm. “I am not touching you. Yet.” The vocoder said quietly, and I continued on at first, and then my mind screamed. _Wait, what? Not touching me YET? Oh kriff, he is going to kill me._ Despite those thoughts, I felt an all too familiar feeling in my abdomen. Another hand, this one on the other side of me. He was directly behind me. _Oh stars, what is he doing?_ He did not move. I did not feel any strange sensations. Until my body decided to be the worst betrayer. He was literally standing behind me, had threatened me, and of all those times, I decided I was aroused. _KRIFF MY LIFE, THIS CANNOT BE HAPPENING RIGHT NOW. WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK IS WRONG WITH ME???_

He wanted to see how far he could push this, and see what her reaction would be. To his sheer delight and amusement, he could feel the heat rising in her, her own energy building and coiling like a snake. She had not moved, had not completed her task, and he knew she stopped breathing again. “Do you need to periodically be reminded to breathe?” he asked, and she shuddered, the energy coming off her more intensely now. _Ah, so it’s my voice. I wonder what she would think of it without the vocoder. Perhaps I shall test that._ “Continue your work, 2313.” He ordered, and she nodded in compliance, swallowing hard. He could not help but smirk, thinking of her swallowing something other than her spit. All the previous technicians they had sent were males, so he was shocked they sent a female this time. In addition, his busy schedule rarely allowed him to have a _social life_. He was a Knight of Ren, not a true member of the First Order. She was on strict orders to keep her job confidential. What would she be able to do, report him for harassment? To who, Hux? And even so, what could Hux do about it? If he were to even believe her; Kylo made it a point to never be forward or close to anyone, so a display like this would never be believed by anyone else. He had her right where he wanted her, and this was going to be fun. In addition, he knew he aroused her. More to his delight, his _threat_ had aroused her. “I find you acceptable. You may continue repairing my quarters in the future.” And with that, he pushed himself away from her, returning to the stool, arms folded. She was flustered, a single strand of hair falling in her face, her cheeks flushed, sweat on her neck, lips slightly parted. _Such nice little lips. I’ll play with them later._ He mused to himself, peering back into her mind. And he was absolutely delighted by her thoughts.


	3. No Escape

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is no way out for our little FD-2313.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shameless smut is here!  
> Song that inspired this: "Call Me Master" by Blood On The Dance Floor.

_I swear to the gods, I thought he was going to kill me. Or worse. Oh gods, why am I thinking like THAT? There is no way. But seriously, he was standing behind me. BEHIND ME. At the console. Why? Why would you stand behind someone, with your hands on both sides of them if you didn’t have some sort of bad intention in mind? Okay, okay. Relax. He rarely interacts with people, right? He’s all broody and such. And goes off to be alone and destroy things. Maybe he just doesn’t know how to respect personal space? Or how to act around someone in close quarters? Oh kriff he’s hearing all this. I am sorry. But perhaps you should not listen to my thoughts. I am very confused right now._ I was so beyond flustered, if I did not have better resolve I would have just stopped what I was doing and either cried or walked out. But then I remembered he was sitting on a stool in the doorway, so walking away was not an option anyway. _Goddammit, he did that intentionally._ And then he started laughing. Not chuckling, but full on laughing, low and almost like a growl. “But I rather like listening. You are very _expressive_.” He said, emphasizing the last word in an almost seductive way, and my cheeks heated up ‘til I felt as if I was going to implode in on myself like a star burning too hot. “I do not wish to call you 2313, it is boring. When you are here, you are Cora, unless I say otherwise.” I immediately froze at that. That was my name before I joined the First Order, a name given to me from my family that I had to discard when I became technician FD-2313. He went through my files, and I knew it as soon as it came out of the vocoder. That made me angry in a way, but at the same time I was surprised he went for sentiment. _Manipulation tactic, be careful._ “Perceptive little thing.” I shot him a look then, not caring at this point. “Why are you doing this?” I bluntly asked, and he stirred, rising and coming towards me again. “You intrigue me. I find you… pleasing.” His helmet tilted, and I knew his eyes were roaming over my body. He was right in front of me now, too close. I took a step back, and he stepped forward again. “Look, I just want to do my job.” I said, starting to feel scared again. “You want more than that, and any other notion is a lie you are telling yourself.” He said, still walking forward until my back hit a wall. I put my hands on the wall, and he was too close; I was essentially pinned in the room. And then the door closed. A leather clad hand reaching up to my face, cupping my chin in one massive grasp of his palm; “You are frightened unnecessarily. I don’t intend to hurt you. Much.” _Oh fuck_ _me._

“I plan on it.” The words tumbled from his vocoder, and he felt her jaw go slack. He stroked her cheek with his thumb, grazing over the burn. He reached up and barely flicked his finger, but she winced. He pulled the small shard of metal out with his mind, letting it float in the air for a moment before it fell. Blood began to well ever so slightly at the wound, and he wanted to taste it. He used the Force to shut off the light, move all tools over to the door, and then spun her around so she was facing the wall. He grasped the latches of his helmet, and it hissed as he removed it. He felt her excitement rising again. “Would it please you to see my face?” he stated, voice no longer skewed by the mask, but still deep and now with an almost velvet quality to it. She swallowed thickly, and nodded. “You will not look at me unless I say so.” A gloved hand over her eyes, he pulled her away from the wall and ran his tongue over her cheek, lapping the blood that had ran from the injury. She gasped and wiggled slightly, and he gripped her tighter to his body. “You will not move unless I say so.” “Yes, my Lord.” “Close your eyes. If you open them, I will know. And you will regret it.” She obeyed, and he removed his hand, lowering it on her face until he pressed two fingers into her mouth, making her nearly open her eyes. “Don’t disobey me.” His voice pressed, sternly and full of heat. He leaned closer to her ear, breathing on it. She whimpered around his fingers and then he moved his other hand to her abdomen. “Such a bad little thing. You don’t even know what I look like and you want me to fuck you on the console. I can hear your thoughts… you want me to choke you.” A hand wrapped around her throat, squeezing so slightly. “ _Not with gloves,”_ the thought danced across her mind, and he scoffed. “Pets don’t get to make demands. Perhaps if you’re good, I’ll reward you with that. Now turn to me, and get on your knees.” She did as obeyed, and he reached for her hair, pulling it free of its tie and winding his fingers through it. With his other hand, he freed his hardening member from his robes. “Suck me.” He ordered, and she did not have to be told twice. Eyes still closed, she reached her hands forward, finding his legs, running upwards until she knew her bearings and leaned forward, taking his length in her hand and running her tongue over his tip. “You are being exceptionally obedient,” he growled, her mouth slipping over his length, only able to take part of him due to his size. He looked down at her, her lips stretched, the feeling of her tongue running on the underside of his cock, her hands squeezing his thighs. He pressed his hand into the back of her head, pushing her farther on his length, making her gag slightly but then she continued on without missing a beat. “Suppressing your gag reflex? You are delightful.” He said huskily, pressing more of his length down her throat, this time cutting off her airway with his size. He thrust his hips forward, wanting so badly to just throat fuck her until he came undone, but that would be only half the fun. He grabbed her hair more roughly and pulled her head away from him, and then she waited. _“Was I doing something wrong?”_ she thought, her face reddening. “Not at all. You were doing _too well_. I want to explore other parts of you before I come undone.” He released her hair, and then pulled his gloves off while commanding her to stand. She obeyed and then he wrapped a naked hand around her throat, and she gasped. “As promised, I reward exemplary performance. Open your eyes.”

I didn’t know exactly what to expect when I opened my eyes, but the face I was met with was certainly not what I had envisioned. In the low light of the consoles, he was young, pale with scattered beauty marks, and dark hair and eyes. His lips were nearly pouty, and he had a scar running down the length of the right side of his face, extending past his jaw and disappearing below his collar. I wanted him to fuck me even more. His eyes were half open, lust filled and his whole body was making mine tingle. He stepped forward, pressing my back against the wall, lips crashing against my own rather sloppily. He released my throat, grabbed just under my ass and hoisted upwards, slamming me back into the wall as he crammed his tongue into my mouth. I wrapped my legs around his waist, and he rocked his hips forward intensely. “Greedy, needy thing.” He growled, lips now by my ear, nipping at my neck. I moaned, grabbing a handful of his raven locks. He released his hands from under me, and I let my legs drop and found the floor. He did not much like having to be bent over so far; he grunted at the height difference. He grabbed me by the shoulder and spun me around, facing the console. I was now bent over, and his hands were on my hips, pulling my trousers off. _Oh gods, he really is going to fuck me._ “Of course I am, did you think I was toying with you this whole time for nothing?” he said, voice like liquid sex as he ran a hand along my slit. “You are so wet… beg me.” He growled, leaning over farther, and my brain was lost in a haze of lust and wanton greed. “I need you… please, Lord Ren, I want to feel you.” “Where?” he further pressed, sinking a finger between my folds and into my dripping cunt. “Fuck my cunt, please Commander.” I moaned, invisible hands ghosting over me. He gripped my right hip tightly and wound my hair through his other hand, shoving his hips forward in an attempt to enter me. When he began to push his way in, he squeezed his hand tighter on my hip and moaned, loud and deep, pulling my hair tight and yanking my head back. His length and girth were more than I had ever experienced, and I stifled a cry as he hilted his cock within me. He stilled for a moment, panting, and then he began. Pulling back and slamming forward again, I screamed this time, unable to hide the pain mixed with pleasure from him practically splitting me in two with his cock. “Take me,” he growled, fingers digging into my hip, surely leaving bruises. I felt an invisible hand at my throat, pressing my airway shut little by little. I moaned with the new sensation, and my orgasm was very close. He thrust more roughly, faster, and deeper, his hips shoving my entire body up the console each time he moved forward. I cried out, my hands trying to find something, anything to grab on to, my toes curling in my boots. The Force user choked me harder, and as my vision grew hazy my body came undone, my cunt clamping down on his length, a scream of pure ecstasy escaping me as each shudder washed over my body. With a roar, he shoved his length in all the way to the base, his own orgasm ripping through him as he spilled himself within me. I was exhausted, covered in sweat and coming down from the most intense orgasm of my life when he rested both hands on either side of me, his forehead touching the back of my head. His hair spilled around my face, and I turned my head to the side so I could at least look at him. His eyes were closed, and for the first time since I had been around him, he no longer felt angry. “You felt exquisite.” He breathed, making my cheeks heat up again, “I want to see you every day I am on the _Finalizer_. I don’t care if I have to break every kriffing thing in this room daily, you are going to be under me when I want you under me.” He said, opening his eyes, which I finally realized were a deep brown. “Understood, my Lord.” “You may call me Kylo.” And with that he pulled out of me and moved away, leaving me feeling cold and empty, his seed spilling out of me and running down my thighs.

“Clean yourself up and go. Sleep, get something to eat, and return at 1000.” He ordered harshly, fixing his disheveled robes and gathering his helmet. She nodded, thanked him, and hurried off to the refresher, her pants still undone. He enjoyed watching her hips sway as she walked away from him, and then his view was cut off as she shut the refresher door. He lazily wandered to his bedroom, sitting his helmet down on its stand beside his bed. He pulled his boots off and closed his eyes, listening to her. She was a ball of mixed emotions; excitement, smoldering lust, fear, pain, and happiness. He smirked some, knowing that the fear was the smallest of those emotions, and that she would be back. As much as he hated Hux, sending this little technician to his quarters may have been the best thing Hux ever did. He heard the water running and then stop, and then the door opened. She stood, looked in his bedroom at him sitting there, bowed slightly and quietly said, “Good night, Commander. Um… I mean Kylo. I will return promptly at 1000, as you requested.” And with that, she turned on her heels and went out the door to his quarters. _So nice to watch her walk away._


	4. Letting It Sink In

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The technician really has no idea how to handle this new situation.

_Holy fuck. Literally._ My mind could not process what happened, I was wandering back to my quarters trying to rationalize the whole thing. I still could not believe it; the only proof that I had was my ruffled uniform and stains in my panties from him. _1000\. I need to be back there at 1000._ I looked at the datapad; 0348. _Okay, wake up at 0845, grab a quick bite, and go back in there. Will I ever get to fix those panels? I need to fix them soon, Hux will start wondering why I haven’t reported them as complete. Oh shit, he’ll think I’m incompetent and reassign me. And then the Commander will go into a full-on meltdown. I need to get this done today._ I entered my room, threw off my uniform, hopped in the shower and quickly rinsed off before bed. This was going to be a long day, and I wasn’t sure that I was fully prepared for what was ahead. I sure as hell hadn’t expected to go in there and get fucked by him; I had no idea what he had in store later. After the shower, I fell into bed and passed out nearly immediately; he had fucked me to exhaustion.

I heard the alarm going off, the incessant beeping driving me nuts. I looked over at the clock and nearly lost it; 0915. _Shit._ I jumped out of bed and ran into the refresher, hurrying up to relieve myself. My mind was racing; I had very little time to get ready, and even less time to eat. I brushed my teeth, fixed my hair and went to grab a new uniform. Pulling on the clean garments and yanking my boots on, I grabbed my datapad and ran out the door. 0928. 32 minutes to run to the mess hall, grab something quick to eat, and then run back to his room. I flew through the halls of _The Finalizer,_ earning dirty looks from officers and angry yells from stormtroopers as I nearly knocked some over. The mess hall was crowded, but I had time. Grabbing a protein bar and a water, I hurried through the line and then looked again at the datapad. 0936. I crammed the bar in my mouth, barely even having time to chew. Gulping down the water, I discarded the refuse and straightened my uniform, checking the time again. 0944. I had time. I walked out of the mess hall and right into General Hux. _Shit, there goes my time to spare. This is going to be way too close for comfort._

“Ah, FD-2313. Good to see you. I hope your new position hasn’t been too… challenging.” Hux said, that shit-eating grin plastered across his face. _If you only knew,_ I wanted to quip, but instead responded with a “Of course not, General.” “Excellent. Your previous position will have a replacement soon. In the meantime, I expect those consoles repaired today. It is a time sensitive matter.” General Hux said, gaze boring down into my soul. “Understood, General. I will work faster.” I said, fidgeting at this point. “Very well. You are dismissed.” The General straightened himself and walked on, and I saluted him before continuing on my way. 0949. I was going to be late. I broke out into a run, not about to be late to the Lord Commander’s quarters. I nearly ran over several labor droids as I turned a corner, earning disgruntled beeps from them. 0956. I was hopeful I could make it; I had to make it. My legs were starting to hurt, but I continued on like my life depended on it; it probably did. I saw the officer’s quarters ahead, and that made me feel more confident. I turned another corner, seeing the large blast door at the end of the hall. _Yes, I’m going to make it._ I slowed as I approached the door, trying to catch my breath. I looked down at the datapad one last time before entering the code on the door. 1001. _Oh no._

He opened the door, standing there in the entryway. “You’re late,” he stated, the vocoder adding a bite to the words. “Forgive me, My Lord.” She responded, her breathing uneven, sweat on her brow, her dark blonde hair starting to fall out of her bun. He motioned into the room, and she didn’t have to be told twice. The door slammed closed, and she did not flinch. “I do not appreciate tardiness. I specifically gave you a time, did I not?” he questioned, walking around her in a circle. “You did, My Lord.” Her heart still had not slowed. He saw more sweat on the back of her neck; he knew she had been running. “So, tell me, what was the reason that you were late? Choose your words carefully.” She swallowed before answering; the motion brought back memories of their earlier rendezvous. “General Hux stopped me in the hall. He wanted to inform me to work faster on the consoles, and expected their completion today. He did not seem pleased that they are still in a state of disrepair.” He entered her mind, and he saw she was telling the truth. However, he became angry. Hux has no right to tell his engineer what to do. “Is that so?” he snarled, turning heel and stalking into the surveillance room.

The screech of his lightsaber was unexpected, making me flinch. Then, I heard metal being crushed, smelled melting electronics, and heard a strangled growl come from the room. _Well shit, this makes it harder._ Smoke poured from the room, and I heard the panels arcing. He stalked back out, shutting off the lightsaber. “There. Now you have a reason to report why they are not yet repaired. Now I will be out for a time. Get to work.” He hissed, his shoulders tense, fists clenched. “Yes, My Lord.” I moved out of his way as he stalked out the blast door, closing it behind him. He had activated the lock override; I was trapped in his room. I wasn’t sure how to feel about that, but there was no way out at this point. I entered the surveillance room and shook my head; it was obliterated. There was melted gouges in the walls, one console was nearly cut in two, and all of the panels were effectively crushed. I gathered my tools up, still scattered from when he had slid them out of the way early this morning during our… encounter. I ran a hand over my forehead, sighed, and turned off the power in the maintenance panel. This was going to be a long day.

The dark menace stormed through the halls, terrifying everyone he walked past with his overwhelmingly bad attitude. Droids, stormtroopers and officers alike all cleared out of his way, making the hallways look eerily desolate. His fists were still clenched; he was ready to tell that red-headed bastard exactly what he thought about him meddling with his engineer. The door at the end of the hall grew closer; he could feel the smug bastard within his office, sitting at his desk. Waving a hand, the door parted. Hux flew out of the chair, standing stock still and looking completely caught off guard. “Ah, Lord Commander, to what do I owe the pleasure?” Hux said hurriedly, swallowing thickly. “Why do you feel it prudent to interfere with my engineer’s work?” the modulator growled, and Hux looked caught off guard. “I apologize, Lord Commander, I was simply reminding her of her duties…” “She is fully aware of them. I do not want you questioning her again. She was late to my quarters for her repairs because of you.” He snapped, annoyed at the red-headed bastard. “I apologize for the inconvenience that may have caused you, but she is a First Order technician, and her position requires her to report directly to me. Do you have a problem with that? After all, you are not technically a member of the First Order, Lord Commander.” Hux said smugly, trying to gain some of his leverage, “If you have an issue with this, I can assign another technician.” “That will not be necessary. I would appreciate if you would speak with me first if you have questions regarding her completion of tasks, as I request her on my schedule, which may delay her duties. I hope we can be at an _understanding_ on this, General.” He stated firmly, applying slight pressure to the General’s throat. “That will be acceptable. Very good, Lord Commander. I shall keep that in mind going forward.” The General’s brow started to sweat, and the Force User stormed out of the office, his black cape flowing out behind him as he headed for his quarters.

The blast door slid open, and I felt the overwhelming rage that came with it. I continued my job, pulling out another melted circuit board, discarding it to the side and replacing it. The Commander was looming in the doorway, staring at me. “I spoke with the General. He should no longer be bothering you with trivial complaints. If he does, I expect to be informed immediately.” The vocoder said dryly, and I nodded. “Of course, Lord Commander. Thank you.” I returned to the console, having the first one nearly completed. He walked into the room, resting a gloved hand on my shoulder. I ceased my work, and looked up at him, “Yes, My Lord?” “When you are finished with that one, you will stop. You will do exactly what I say. Is that clear?” His vocoder was right by my ear, his hand tightening on my shoulder. “Anything you wish, My Lord.” He released me and walked away, and I hurried my pace. Better not to keep him waiting a second time in the same day.


	5. No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new chapter, and a new experience for Cora.  
> *New tag added for good reason*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is way longer than the others, and I just had to finish it up so you wonderful readers could experience it. Thank you all so much for the kudos! Hope everyone enjoys reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it!

He stood in the doorway, watching her work. A single strand of her hair had fallen in her face; it was the same unruly lock as last night. Every so often, she would tuck it back behind her ear, only to have it fall forward again when she moved too much. He watched her lean over the console to replace another computer chip, and was quickly reminded of when he had her bent over that very console, screaming beneath him. He smirked under his visor, knowing he would have her begging him again shortly. Swapping several more pieces out quickly, she replaced the main cover on the console and tested it, the lights flickering to life and the displays illuminating. She ceased, straightened herself and turned to him. “I am finished with the console, My Lord.” She said, head bowed, not looking at him. “Come.” He ordered, turning and walking away. Her heard the pattering of her boots on the floor, knowing she was following at a respectable distance. He sat on the couch in the common area of his quarters, motioning two fingers for her to come. She stood in front of him, head still bowed. “On your knees.” She obeyed quickly, not looking at him. “Do you find it acceptable, no matter the reason, to keep your Master waiting?” he asked, leaning forward and grasping her face in one hand, squeezing her cheeks. “No, My Lord.” Her green eyes became welled with tears as he squeezed tighter, but she made no sound. “I dislike disobedience. I shall punish you for this. Over my knees, now.” He released her face, and she made no protest, turning and laying over his legs. He felt her ribs still, and he knew she had stopped breathing again, clearly waiting for what was to come. He stuck her ass hard with an open palm, a sharp exhale coming from her, but no other sound. “I expect you to keep this in mind the next time you fail to respect my commands,” he growled, slapping her ass again, this time harder. He was hoping she would cry out, beg him to stop, but she was a stoic little thing. He could see the trail of tears down her face as he brought his hand down again, her eyes shutting tightly at the impact; but still no sound, not even a whimper.

I couldn’t hardly believe he was spanking me. I knew he would likely punish me for being late, but I had no idea he would do this. Nor did I expect him to do it after I had already begun working. I felt his leather-clad palm collide with my rear again, and I shuddered this time. I was red, no doubt. I wouldn’t be surprised if some spots bruised later. When I expected him to strike again, he ceased. His hand instead lightly stroked by backside, palming me through my trousers. I saw my datapad float over, and he caught it in his left hand, holding it out. “Report that one of the consoles is finished.” He ordered, and I nodded. “Yes, Master.” I stated, fingers shaking as I logged in, the adrenaline from being spanked so hard still coursing through my body. After logging in, I went to my task list and checked off one of the consoles. “Perfect,” he said, sitting the datapad aside. “Now, you will go and fix the next one. And when you are finished, you will return to me again. You will repeat the process until the remaining two are fixed. Understood?” he stated, no emotion coming from his voice. “Yes, My Lord. Thank you, Master.” I responded, standing on shaky legs. I bowed to him and then walked back to the surveillance room, trying to ignore my sore ass cheeks.

He was impressed; despite the fact that he had struck her quite hard, she made no protest. He thoroughly enjoyed spanking her plush rear, and he couldn’t wait to do it again. He was eager to see if the threat of his actions being repeated when she was finished would make her work faster or slower. He leaned back on the sofa, clenching and unclenching his fists. He heard small noises coming from the surveillance room; he knew she was using a plasma torch to cut something out of one of the wrecked consoles. He looked to the clock on his wall, the time reading 1133 in red numbers. He knew she would need to take lunch soon, as would he. He was growing impatient, knowing that she needed time to do her job, but at the same time wanting her on his lap again, hand on her ass. He hoped this time she would perhaps be more vocal; he wanted her to cry for him, beg him to stop, plead for mercy. He would make her break eventually, and he would enjoy every moment of it.

My fingers worked quickly, trying to finish with this console before I made him angry again. My ass could not take another series of beatings like it just had; and I knew he had two more in store for me. I feared I would not be able to sit down after he punished me again. Two more data chips, another hard drive and then the outer casing replaced, and I would be finished. It just took me a few more minutes and I was done, wiping my forehead off and walking back out to him. He held up a hand and flicked two fingers forward, and I walked in front of him, taking my place on my knees. “Report that one as complete, and then over my knees again.” He said sternly, and I obeyed, picking up the datapad and reporting the second console finished. Laying over his lap, he rubbed a palm over my ass before bringing it up and then back down sharply, making me exhale hard. His other hand grabbed my throat, squeezing lightly. He spanked me again, this time making me squeak in pain. His hand on my throat clenched tighter, and I couldn’t breathe easily. My eyes began to water, and he spanked me exceptionally hard one last time before releasing my throat. I garbled sob fell out of my mouth, and then he gently rubbed my sore ass. His hand ran in between my legs, his gloved fingers pressing along my clothed sex. “On your knees again.” He stated, and I shifted off him and on to the floor. He rubbed a thumb along my cheek, wiping away the tear that had fallen. “You have done well. Now go, get something to eat and return when you are finished.” He stated in a less harsh manner, hand stilling on my cheek. “Yes, My Lord. Thank you, Master.” I responded, taking my datapad, rising and leaving his quarters. My ass was so sore I could hardly bear to walk, but I tried my best not to show weakness around him, simply out of fear that he would do far worse to me for being weak.

He ordered his lunch from his personal datapad and waited, looking down at his right palm, remembering how her ass felt against it. She had whimpered this last time, even shedding a tear. He was making progress, but not enough to his liking. He clenched his fist, planning out in his mind how he would make her plead with him. He did not want to outright ask her, but he knew her own resolve would likely prohibit her from providing him with the kind of response that he was seeking. He would have to make this upcoming punishment much harsher. He looked down to his gloved hand and had the most devious idea. A small smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth, knowing this would likely get the response he wanted. At that, the door to his quarters slid open and a serving droid appeared, delivering his food. He savored his lunch and eagerly awaited the return of his newest toy.

There was no way I could sit to eat; I was too sore. Instead, I chose a meal replacement drink and quickly downed it, hurrying off to the nearest refresher to alleviate myself and inspect how badly my rear was bruised. Sitting on the commode was excruciating; I was cursing Kylo Ren with every ounce of my being. When I stood, I looked down and slightly twisted around, trying to look at my backside. There were several very red areas, and where the worst ones were overlapping, small bruises were starting to form. I grumbled under my breath, pulled up my trousers and went to the sink, my jaw clenched tight. _This is not going to get any easier. He is brutal, I should be lucky this is all he has done to me so far._ Leaving the refresher, I headed back towards his quarters. I straightened my uniform one final time in the halls, tucking my unruly strand of hair behind my left ear. The blast door to his room slid open of its own volition, and I stepped inside.

She returned rather promptly; he was quite impressed with this. She had no doubt tidied herself up; fixing her uniform, attempting to smooth her hair some. He smirked behind his mask, and she was still waiting near the entryway. “You may fix the final console. And then as before, I expect you out here awaiting my command.” “Yes, My Lord.” She said hurriedly, disappearing into the surveillance room. He expected her to be done quicker with this one than the others, as she seemed to be hurrying as to not draw his wrath any further. Little did she know he was no longer doing this out of punishment, but instead for his own pleasure. He rather enjoyed her over his lap; watching her struggle to remain still as he spanked her so hard she was bound to bruise, watching her face as she stifled tears and yelps. He allowed his mind to drift off once more to thoughts of what he would do to her next, the smirk returning to the corner of his lips.

I was pulling out broken pieces with a fervor; I knew he was waiting for me, and the longer I made him wait, the worse this last punishment would be. In another 10 minutes, I had everything repaired and had turned the power back on. All consoles hummed to life, and I collected all the broken parts and put them in my bag. I accessed my datapad, listed the last console as complete, and summoned a labor droid to remove the damaged parts and take them to the trash compactor. I returned to the sitting room and kneeled in front of him. “My Lord, the console is fixed. There is a droid coming to remove the damaged parts. Thank you, Master, for letting me repair them.” I was afraid, but would take whatever punishment he would give out with dignity. “You have done well. Now, just as before.” He motioned to his lap, and I obeyed again. This time, I did not expect what happened next. He grabbed the waistband of my trousers and yanked down, pulling them down along with my underwear. I felt a sharp sting, and at first, I couldn’t place it, and then I was horrified. He had pulled his glove off and was whipping me with it. The second sting hurt worse than the first, and then he struck the same place with his glove a third time, and I could no longer stifle my cry. A small yelp escaped my lips, and he struck again, harder this time. I cried this time, but tried to muffle my sobs. “Have you learned your lesson on disobeying me?” he growled, striking again. “Yes, Master. Forgive me for my incompetence.” I was crying at this point, hot tears streaking my face. He stilled, and then grabbed my hair, yanking my face up to look at his helmet. “I know you will not disappoint me again. The next time will be far worse than your imagination can conjure. Is that clear?” His threat was even more pronounced by the gritty tone of the vocoder. “Yes, Master. I will not disappoint you again.” I was sobbing, unable to hold back my tears. He ran his gloved hand over my face, wiping the tears away. “Go clean yourself up.” He ordered, and I obeyed without a moment’s hesitation, his refresher door sliding open. I went inside, closed the door and let out a harsh sob, grasping the counter. I splashed water on my face, trying to clean myself up as best as I could, drying off and going back to the door.

She returned to the sitting room again, her eyes bleary but no longer crying. “You performed so well for me today. I am proud of how you took your punishment. As I told you before, I reward exemplary behavior. Come here, pet.” He stated, motioning to the couch beside him. She sat, not looking at him, hands folded in her lap. He reached up for his helmet and pulled it off, setting it on the table in front of him. He pulled off his other glove and placed the pair beside the helmet on the table. He reached over and stroked her cheek softly, a sigh escaping her. “Lay across my lap, pet.” He commanded, his voice less harsh without the vocoder distortion. She tensed but obeyed, her breathing halting again. He gently paced a hand upon her rear, rubbing softly and petting her hair with the other hand. He massaged her ass gently, and then ghosted his fingers over her crotch. “Remove your pants.” He ordered, and she nodded. When she tugged them down, he saw the marks he had left; he was surprised she was able to sit next to him moments ago, especially so stoically. Bruises were forming, and they were going to be worse from where he whipped her. He rubbed them tenderly, and then he dipped his hand between her legs. “Spread.” He ordered, and she parted her thighs. He caressed her slit, spreading her wetness over her clit. “Already wet for me? Such a good girl for your Master. I will thoroughly reward your good behavior.” He cooed, dipping two fingers inside her. She moaned out as he curled his fingers, a smirk tugging up the corner of his mouth.

His fingers curled up in me, pulling up some before moving them slowly, teasing my walls with each movement. I moaned out as he used his thumb on my clit, rubbing circles on my sensitive nub. “Thank you, Master,” I whined, my hips involuntarily bucking towards his hand. He thrust his fingers forward harder, drawing a heavy sigh out of me. His motions were nearly taking my breath away; he surely knew how to please. “You will come when I command you to come, is that understood?” he growled, leaning down by my ear, his hot breath on my neck. “Yes, Master…” I stammered, his fingers working fervently at my dripping entrance, thumb nearly overstimulating my clit. I grasped the edge of his robes, knuckles nearly turning white as I tried my best to suppress my impending orgasm. “I love feeling you clench,” he whispered, his hair tickling the back of my neck. I could hardly take it anymore; his fingers prodding my sex in a steady rhythm, his thumb drawing intense circles of pleasure on my clit, his hot breath on my neck. “Come.” He commanded, voice deep and stern, and my orgasm hit me like a comet, my entire body shuddering from the intensity of the pleasure. I cried out his name and gripped the hem of his robe tighter, burying my face in the cushion of the sofa. His hand slowed and then stilled, allowing me to clench on his fingers several more times before he finally withdrew them. “As I said, good behavior gets a reward.” He stated, licking his fingers off. The sight alone nearly sent me into another orgasm. “Now, I believe your job here is complete. You are dismissed, Cora.” He said calmly, going back to his typical emotionless tone. I slid off his lap on wobbly legs, pulled my trousers back up and bowed to him. “Thank you for allowing me that pleasure, Master. Should you need anything further, I am always available to serve.” I stated reverently, grabbing my datapad and then leaving his quarters. My body was a hazy mess of disbelief, dull pain and nerves still on fire from ecstasy. _This assignment is going to be the death of me._


	6. Second Thoughts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our favorite technician is starting to have some internal conflict about the whole situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading this far! I do apologize, this chapter is filled with angst. But fun smut, too. Enjoy!

It had been two days since completing the first assignment, and I still had not received any new summons for repairs. A part of me was a little disappointed, but the other part of me was relieved. The bruises on my posterior were now turning green and fading around the edges, so my rear was thankful for the respite from the Lord Commander. However, it was strange for me to not have daily duties to attend to, and it made me feel quite useless. I wandered around the _Finalizer_ in my free time, trying to keep from going stir crazy. My job was the one constant in my life, and now my job was entirely inconsistent. It was frustrating. As I mulled around on the evening of the second day, I heard my datapad beep. Walking over to my nightstand, I picked it up and saw a new notification: blast door operating panel damage. The location was the same as before, and I sighed. A tiny little part of me deep down was excited. _This is not the time for this. Focus. Just go in there, fix it and get the kriff out of there before he decides to play._ Grabbing the datapad, I headed for the door, locked it and went to the engineering storage. Gathering supplies and a tool bag, I left the storage and tried my best to prepare for whatever the hell was about to happen next.

Approaching the door to his quarters, it slid open automatically as per usual. I stepped inside, and there he was, helmet off, fists clenched, sitting on the couch in the common room. He looked up at me, face shrouded in frustration, and the door closed and locked behind me. “I am here to repair the operating panel, My Lord.” I stated calmly, and he nodded farther into his quarters. I froze right then; it was the panel for his bedroom door. A part of me just wanted to walk out, tell Hux to find someone else, and go back to my old duties, but the other masochistic part of myself willed my legs forward, going to the panel. I set the tool bag down and analyzed the panel, and I realized he had not damaged this one nearly as bad; there was a very clean lightsaber cleave directly down the middle, with no other melted pieces, crushed pieces or anything of the sort. I was a little impressed to say the least. “Did you not believe me capable of such precise destruction?” he asked coldly, his robes rustling as he stood. “No, My Lord, of course I believed you were capable of something this specific. I just was expecting more… damage.” I was trying to choose my words carefully but failing. “52.” He said bluntly, and I was confused. His heavy footsteps drew nearer; his hulking form looming directly behind me, “That’s how many hours it’s been since you have been in my presence.” I froze at those words. _He’s been counting_? “Of course I have. Do you not remember my promise to you? I wished to have you in my presence at my whim when I was on this ship. I just returned from a mission, and I wished to see you again.” I felt a large leather-clad hand in my hair, pulling the tie out that was holding it in a bun, my locks falling free. He softly caressed my hair, running it between his gloved fingers. I stopped what I was doing and tried my best to be patient, but I was growing nervous. “You shouldn’t be nervous. You know exactly why I called you here.” He stated, leaning down to speak right next to my ear, “You can fix that later. Now come.” The door to my left slid open, revealing another dark room. He strode past me, not even giving me a second glance. I took a breath and then followed him into the dark room. _Into the monster’s den._

He didn’t turn the light on as the door slid shut behind me, effectively making me blind due to the dark. I didn’t move, afraid that I would walk into something. “Come here,” he stated, voice less harsh than before. I moved forward slowly, trying to figure out where exactly his voice emanated from, and then barked my shin on the edge of something. “Kriff,” I huffed, and I heard him snicker. “This way, Cora.” My head whipped to the direction of my name, and I continued into the room. “That’s right; such a good pet. This way.” I put my hands out, the dark slightly unsettling. Then I felt something soft at waist height; likely his bed. “Boots off and then climb up.” I obeyed, setting my boots off to the side and pulled myself up on the soft bed and then waited for another command. I heard more rustling, then I felt his bare hand caress my face. I closed my eyes and savored the feeling; it was rare to feel his touch without gloves. “You will obey me tonight, is that understood?” he stated more than asked, and I responded with a soft “Yes, My Lord.” “Good. I can make this very enjoyable for you. However, if you choose to disobey, this night will be anything but pleasurable.” His hand stroked my cheek again, and his words made me shudder. “You will not do anything without my permission. Starting now.” His hand wound around my throat, his thumb pressing on my thrumming pulse, “Slowly remove your uniform.” I reached up for the top button and my eyes slipped shut, listening to his even breath behind me.

He was impressed; she had some mild fear, but she was obeying his commands very well. He knew it was more than her fear motivating her; he could sense her energy building as she was becoming aroused. Her top slid off her shoulders, dropping onto the bed behind her. He watched as she reached up again, removing her bra. This slow ritual continued until she was completely bare in front of him. He stood, walked around the bed and admired her from different angles, the lack of light allowing him to make out her soft curves and little else. “On your knees, hands behind your back.” She obeyed, and then he reached out a hand, using the Force to immobilize her. He could feel her entire body tense, and her breathing changed. He went into her mind, and he felt her fear, confusion and that little nagging seed of arousal that she was intentionally hiding away. “Stop fighting me. And give in to your desire. Or I will make you give in.” With that, he was on the bed again, on his knees behind her. He shoved her forward, pressing her face into the sheets, her ass still in the air. He ran a hand along her sex, feeling her wetness and savoring it. He quickly plunged two fingers in her, and she cried out into the bed. He worked them in and out of her rapidly, stimulating her clit with his thumb, pulling breathy moans from her. When he felt she was getting close, he completely stopped, withdrawing his fingers and leaving her a panting mess. He moved from behind her, shifted farther up his large bed and laid down. He released her from the Force hold he had on her, letting her catch her breath. “Come here.” He commanded, and she obeyed, crawling up the bed. “Knees on either side of my head.”

I didn’t think I heard him right. I immediately stopped, caught off guard. “Do not make me give orders twice. Or I shall immobilize you and spank you until you have fresh bruises.” His voice was threatening; I knew he was not about to play nice. I obeyed him and climbed above him, my knees on both sides of his head, my shins resting on his shoulders. He grabbed me roughly by the thighs, spreading them farther and changing my position. I felt him drag his tongue deliciously slow over my clit, and I couldn’t stifle a loud moan. He pulled me down more and buried his face in my snatch, his tongue sliding into my dripping entrance. When he had me where he wanted me, he immobilized me again. The feeling of being unable to move combined with his tongue was overwhelming to my senses. He lapped at me like a man who had been lost in the desert for a week, and I couldn’t deny the intense orgasm I was about to have. He paused, ordered me to come and then resumed; his tongue sliding back into me. The combination of the order and his warm muscle hungrily devouring my wetness tore an intense orgasm from my body, a loud scream escaping me and my body shuddering violently but held in place by the Force.

He drank her sweetness as her orgasm hit her violently, giving her more pleasure as he gently licked at her clit while she was still coming off her high. Her breathing was heavy, she was still moaning, and he knew that if he wasn’t keeping her in place with the Force she would have collapsed by now. He stopped, lifted her up and then slid out from under her, sitting next to her. “You tasted delicious, my pet. Did you enjoy that?” he cooed, breathing hotly on her neck. “Yes, Master. Thank you.” “Now, off the bed.” She slid to the edge of the bed and scooted off, standing on wobbly legs. “On your knees. Hands behind your back. Mouth open.” She obeyed quickly, and a smirk ghosted across his face. She was turning into the perfect toy; there was no way he was ever going to let her go. He stood in front of her and wound a hand in her hair, pulling up some before shoving his thick length in her mouth. She nearly gagged but then relaxed, tears falling from her eyes at the sudden intrusion. He pushed down her throat more, his cock cutting off her airway at this point. He knew she would start fighting to breathe after 10 seconds or so, and he was going to keep tormenting her this way; only letting her breath for a short time before choking her with his length again.  The fight she was trying to put up was impressive; she was pulling back and he was pressing her forward, feeling the muscles in her throat start to tighten. He backed off and let her take a few breaths before repeating the process. After several times of her struggling, she finally gave in to him and stopped fighting, instead running her tongue along the underside of his cock, sucking to her best ability. “You will not swallow until I tell you to.” He ordered, thrusting roughly in her mouth several times before coming in hot, thick ribbons. He pulled out of her mouth, some of his seed dribbling down her chin. “Do you like the way I taste?” He caressed her cheek, looking down at her with a smile on his face seeing her with a mouth full of his cum, “I hope you like it as much as I liked the way you tasted. Now swallow me.” She obeyed, and watching her throat work as his hot spend went down was intensely satisfying.

I stayed on my knees, waiting for his order. “Go fix the panel.” He ordered, and I saw him moving away from me and back to the bed. I started to reach for my clothes only to watch them fly out of my reach. “Did I tell you that you could dress?” he stated, sitting on the bed and looking at me. “No, sir.” “Your clothes have nothing to do with your ability to fix that panel. Now go, before I put you over my lap and leave you unable to sit.” I obeyed quickly, the door to his room opening. I was cold, my nipples hardening into points, my hairs standing on end. I took the panel apart quickly, knowing the sooner I finished, the sooner I would likely be allowed to dress. _At least, I hope he’ll let me dress._ I heard movement from the bedroom, and then he was standing in the doorway, stark naked and extremely distracting. “Did I tell you to stop working?” he stated coolly, his voice wrapping around my core like satin. I resumed my work, apologizing to him. It was agonizing; I wanted to look at him, but I knew that would not go over well with him. His mind games were very frustrating. “You work quickly. I appreciate your efficiency.” He stated, walking over as I put the last computer chip in and placed a new keypad over it. “Thank you, My Lord. I am always happy to be of service.” He stood behind me and grasped my breasts, softly biting my neck. I could feel my need building, and then he pulled away. “You may dress and leave. And I forbid you to touch yourself. I will know if you do.” He said, holding out my uniform and not looking at me. I felt like I had been slapped in the face; however, that probably would have hurt less. I pulled on my rumpled uniform, grabbed my tools and thanked him again, my cheeks hot with anger as I left his room. I stormed through the hallways, finding the nearest trash chute and throwing the broken parts in. As I watched them disappear down the dark opening, I contemplated just throwing myself in there too. Perhaps if I was destroyed by the trash compactor I would no longer feel this overwhelming conflict or anger. Instead, I slammed the door shut and went back to my small quarters.

When I got back to my room, I threw my tool bag into the corner, yanked off my uniform and went into my refresher. _What the hell are you doing? First, you get assigned to this task. Then, he makes you his slave. Now, you are actually sad that he treats you like trash? Are you out of your kriffing mind? Sure, he fucks you well. Very well. But this is not someone you need to get attached to. Get that sentimental shit out of your head. You are nothing more than a means to fulfill his needs._ My inner voice was scolding me the entire time I showered, scrubbing my body vigorously and trying to scrub away the thoughts of his fingers on my skin. I hated that I actually enjoyed going in there and getting violated in whatever way he chose fit, and I never wanted to admit it to myself. But that dark little part of me was there, in the back of my mind, grinning like a fucking loth cat whenever I had to go back to his quarters. Tears fell from my eyes, and I just wished that I would have never accepted this stupid assignment. The internal conflict was going to tear me apart.


	7. Fragments of Sanity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kylo has a pretty serious breakdown after he makes Cora leave.
> 
> *Warning: I updated the tags, there is self harm in this chapter.*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is written from Kylo's POV entirely; I hope you all like it. I just really felt like switching it up to focus on him some more. Poor thing really needs a hug.

The room was dark. It was quiet, and I felt alone. This feeling was not an unfamiliar one, but it was starting to become more uncomfortable. It was frustrating. I ran my hands through my hair and tried to push the thoughts of her out of my mind, not needing any other distractions. No matter what, I felt like something was pulling me in multiple directions at once, my soul feeling like it was going to be ripped from my body in multiple pieces. After the destruction of Starkiller Base, I thought I had everything under control. I was so very, very wrong. My dreams were nightmares of my father telling me that it wasn’t too late; I was still worth saving. The feeling of his fingers ghosting over my cheek before he disappeared into blackness haunted me every time I jolted awake, covered in sweat and teetering precariously between rage and despair. Snoke knew I was having these dreams, and would scold me mercilessly for my weakness. I didn’t know what else he expected me to do; I felt that by ridding myself of my father I could become stronger, but it seemed to be having the opposite effect. _Am I a failure? Just some broken, pathetic thing that will never be anything more than a pitiful attempt at greatness? Vader would be so disappointed in me._ And then my thoughts wandered back to her. Cora was so very different. I wanted desperately to call her by her name, but in doing so, it made her more human. And it made me feel more human, too, which triggered the conflict more. Whenever I was around her, I didn’t have to force myself to stop thinking about all the bad things I had done. It just happened; I saw her, and the voices went quiet. It made me feel weaker than before, and was part of the reason I acted so cruelly to her. I was surprised she hadn’t yelled at me yet, or cried, or simply refused to return. I had a feeling that was going to happen shortly though. _Everyone leaves you; they always have. Because you’re weak and unworthy of affection. Nobody will ever care about you._ The damaging thoughts returned again as my eyes closed and I drifted into sleep.

Softness. I held my hand out, and I felt the balmgrass under my fingertips. The warm breeze off the Silver Sea rustled my hair, and I took a deep breath of the slightly salty air. I sat amongst the pleasant-smelling grass, letting the wind swirl around me, feeling the warmth of the sun. I heard a small voice call to me, and I looked over to see Cora wandering through the grass, her dark blonde hair hanging in wavy tendrils around her face. “Cora,” I called, looking to her, “Join me.” She approached and held her hand out, and I reached for her. As soon as we touched, the world around us started to crumble. I leapt to my feet, grabbing her and holding her close. The ground heaved, the sky cracked and a black maw began swallowing up everything around us. All that remained was a small piece of ground we were both standing on. She looked up at me, scared, and simply said, “Kylo?” And just like that, she was gone. And then I felt the pain. Ungodly, searing pain ripped through my mind. _You are weak._ The voice enveloped me like a poison cloud. _She will never love you, just like they never loved you. She is only here because you force her to be._ Two blue eyes stared at me from the darkness. I tried my hardest to force him out of my head, but to no avail. The cruel laughter followed my attempt. _Pathetic._

I tore myself awake, sitting up and trying to get a hold of myself. _Chandrila. I haven’t thought of my planet in… four years? Why now?_ I rubbed my face, trying to wake up some. I wandered into the refresher and splashed cold water on my face and neck, running a wet hand through my hair. Looking up and into the mirror, I couldn’t stand the person staring back at me. _Damaged goods._ I closed my eyes and gripped the sink tighter, the words from the dream creeping back into my mind: _She is only here because you force her to be._ It was a sad reality. She could care less about me. I terrified her; she was only trying to do her job. I opened my eyes again and looked back in the mirror. _Monster. She equated you to a Rancor. That’s all you’ll ever be to her._ The rage boiled over again, and I punched the mirror, shattering it. My hand did not fare so well from it; I had several shards of the mirror in my knuckles, blood dripping into the sink. I clenched my fist, more blood seeping from around the mirror shards, my fingernails biting into my palm. The voice that had been tearing me down for so long returned, weaving self-doubt and destruction in my mind. Three more strikes to the broken mirror, more fragments in my hand, and I finally just collapsed to the floor, sobbing into my hands, blood staining the durasteel floor.

I had fallen too far down the pit of self-loathing to hear the door. I heard soft pattering of feet, but still did not care. I was convinced it was all in my head; the ghost of my father coming back to forgive me, my mother walking in to comfort me, Snoke coming to kill me. The latter would actually be a welcomed relief from the continual anguish of my existence. Instead, I heard the footsteps stop, and a familiar yet unexpected voice. “Kylo?” her footfalls drew nearer, and I looked up at her. Cora was standing in my refresher, looking scared and extremely worried. I had no idea why she was in front of me, or what right she thought she had to come into my quarters without permission, but considering my current state, it made me very angry. “Why are you here? Leave!” I yelled at her, and she stood perfectly still; a boulder in a hurricane. “You summoned me. Or do you not remember?” she snapped, holding out her datapad: _“Cora, my quarters, now.”_ The message on the datapad was clearly sent from me; that was my call sign in the “from” line. I looked at the time stamp, and realized I had sent it to her when I was dreaming. _Maybe when I called out to her in my dream I sent it?_ I pushed the thoughts away and turned from her. “Just go away. I don’t require your presence right now.” “There are mirror shards in your hand. You should seek medical attention.” She responded, throwing my words back at me from when I accidentally put shrapnel in her face. I cringed and shot her a look over my shoulder. She approached cautiously, hands slightly extended, her footsteps silently moving on the metal floor. _It’s like she’s approaching a wounded animal._ “I’m not going to hurt you,” she said softly, and I turned away again, “But really, you need to get that looked at. Or let me look at it. You’re bleeding a lot.” “I’ve been through worse and lived. It’s nothing.” I responded, trying to get her to leave me alone, but at the same time hoping she wouldn’t leave. I honestly just wanted her to tell me everything was going to be alright, no matter how much of a lie it was. She was kneeling behind me, and touched my shoulder. I flinched at the contact; part of me had forgotten that she had never actually touched me before. She ran her hand along by bare shoulder, tracing a scar there. Her head was cocked to one side, and she was completely calm. _Incredible, as always._ “If you won’t get your hand looked at, then at least let me fix your mirror.” She quipped, and I had to admit I admired her candid attitude. I held up my hand and she cringed, making me look away. “You really should go to the infirmary. Some of these fragments are really deep.” She touched my hand gently and I pulled away. “I don’t want to.” I stated bluntly, finally standing up and moving away, wanting to clench my fist but stopped myself when I started feeling burning pain farther up my arm. “Fine, suit yourself. I’ll go get another mirror, then.” She declared, sighing in a huff and turning away.

I wanted to kick myself, the words tumbling out before I could stop them, “Don’t leave.” She froze, turned around and met me with kind eyes. “Alright. Like I said before, your wish is my command.” She stood in the doorway, waiting for me to tell her what to do. “Will you wrap it up?” I asked, and she nodded. I opened a cabinet and pulled out a cloth bandage with my undamaged hand, holding it out for her. I walked over to the sink, held my hand out and used the Force to expel all the shards from my hand. It hurt, but I wasn’t going to show it. Blood started running down my hand like a cascade; any clotting that had happened was ripped back open. She moved quickly, wrapping the bandage around my hand. “Tighter,” I ordered, her seeming to not want to hurt me further, but I needed the bleeding to stop. She obliged and pulled the cloth tighter, wrapping it up several more times before securing it. I could already see dark shadows pooling under the bandage; the blood was going to seep through. I would go to the infirmary later. I wasn’t sure what to say to her, and the silence between us was growing more awkward with each passing second. “You may stay.” I said quickly, walking past her and back into my bedroom. I didn’t expect her to stay, climbing into my bed and trying to forget about the whole thing. Instead, I felt the other side of my bed dip slightly, heard her boots hit the floor and her uniform rustling. “Good night, Kylo.” She said softly, making my heart nearly stop. I wasn’t sure if it was sheer exhaustion or contentment, but I fell asleep within minutes of her curling up on the other side of my bed.


	8. Of Mirror Shards and Air Shrimp

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cora wakes up and is completely confused, Hux is being a suspicious dick, and Kylo... well, he has one of his glorious meltdowns. The POV  
> starts with Cora and then switches mid-chapter to Kylo, and is marked where it changes.  
> *Throws angst confetti* Enjoy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title makes sense, I swear.

I awoke in unfamiliar surroundings; the bed softer and larger than my own, the sheets a much higher grade of fabric, the room spacious… And then I remembered last night. I immediately looked over to the other side of the bed, but Kylo was not there. I grew worried, sliding out from under the sheets in just my undergarments, searching for him. It was a fool’s errand; I should have known he wasn’t there. However, I hoped that he had at least went and sought attention for his hand. Entering his refresher, I saw the blood on the shattered mirror, the sink and floor. It was well dried at this point, but it made me cringe anyway. He had really done a number on himself. A part of me wondered what triggered his bout of self-harm, and then the other, more rational part just reminded me: _It’s Kylo. You don’t question his mind._ I knew I would need to fix this mess, but I desperately wanted to shower and change prior to starting my day. I didn’t even know what time it was; my datapad was nowhere to be found. It was only after dressing in my old uniform and walking out into the sitting area that I noticed my datapad on the middle of the table, a small mirror shard beside it. I thought it was odd, and then I realized he had specifically dulled the edges; they were melted, clearly done with his lightsaber. _Sentiment? From him?_ I was taken back; it was foreign and uncomfortable. And such an odd thing to give me; a shard from his violent outburst, one tiny splatter of blood on it. Why? Once again, my rational side reminded me that one does not question him. I knew he had a reason to give it to me, so I put it in my pocket, grabbed my datapad and left his quarters.

As I made my way through the halls back to my quarters, I felt like I was being followed. It worried me some, but I tried to pay it no mind. Upon arrival to my quarters, I looked around and saw no one; but it still felt as if eyes were on me. A sadness washed over me and I felt unusually melancholy as I went in my small room and shut myself inside. I pulled the glass out of my pocket and ran my fingers over it; the sadness seemed to dull a bit as I did. I placed the shard in a safe place in the drawer next to my bed, not wanting anything to happen to it. Despite it being such a macabre gift, it was from him, nonetheless, and the only thing I had to remind myself that our weird relationship was tangible. With that little fleeting happy thought, I stripped myself down and went into the refresher, turning on the warm water in the shower and stepping under the stream, letting the warmth embrace me and touch my soul. The one thing I did cherish about the _Finalizer_ was that there never seemed to be a shortage of hot water, which was one of the positive things about working on such a large vessel. After I finished, I dried and fixed my hair back into a standard bun, towel still wrapped around my body as I went to don a new uniform. As I dressed, I sighed, thinking of having to go back in there and fix the mirror. He had not reported this damage to the system yet, and I was unsure if he ever was going to report it or if he just expected me to fix it. Trying to figure him out was like trying to fly into a black hole; no matter how much curiosity is driving you, it just isn’t a good idea.

I waited for several hours, tidying up my room, restocking my uniforms and sending my dirty ones with a laundry droid; but I was going stir crazy. And then, I heard my datapad beep with a notification. I grew excited, but my heart dropped quickly when I picked it up. It was from General Hux. He wanted to meet with me in his office in 20 minutes. I grew scared; what exactly did he want? I barely even had time to gather my thoughts when I realized I needed to begin heading to his office, as I barely had any time to spare. That was unsettling that he was not only holding a private meeting with me, but he also was not giving me much time to prepare. I was expecting the worst; and I never knew how right I could be.

I walked into his office and greeted him with a respectful “You wished to see me, General?” as he motioned for me to sit down in the chair closest to his big desk. “Yes, FD-2313. I hope the short notice did not pull you away from any pressing matters.” He quipped, and I was trying to figure out what he was getting at. “No, of course not, General.” I fidgeted in my seat; I hated not knowing what was going to happen in this meeting. “I believe you are aware that your… special status, has you report directly to me should any problems arise, correct?” he asked, hands folded on his desk, eyes needling into my skin. “Yes, General.” “Good. However, I have noticed some discrepancies in your work. Last night, for instance. Your datapad’s records showed you left the Lord Commander’s quarters upon completion of your tasks, and then later returned when no active duties were listed. Why is that?” He leaned forward now, trying to get under my skin. I wanted to just turn myself inside out and disappear. “I apologize, General. The Lord Commander had a question about my work.” I was growing more uncomfortable. “Is that so? Fascinating. I was unaware of this. Also, I am curious as to why you departed his quarters at 1134 this morning. That is a long time to be discussing your work, don’t you think?” I knew my face was growing redder at the continued prodding questions, but there was nothing I could do. What was I supposed to do? Tell him Kylo went to a really dark place and the only person he trusted to comfort him was me? _Kylo will kill you, you will tell this insufferable air shrimp nothing. NOTHING._ As if on cue, a loud explosion nearby cut through our conversation and had us both jostling in our seats. “What the…” General Hux grabbed a communicator, turned on his datascreen and started yelling at an officer who I assumed was his glorified secretary. “Lieutenant Gosha, I want to know what the kriff that was, stat!” Hux’s face was nearly as red as his hair at this point; a vein popping out on his forehead. “It… was the Lord Commander, sir. He… um, just cleaved through part of a TIE, sir. And the wall of the main hanger.” The General looked so angry at the footage that was being displayed that I thought he was going to have a stroke. “We will continue this conversation at a later time,” he snapped at me, waving his hand at the door. As I scurried to leave, I heard him screaming at the officer through the communicator, “Get me Ren, now!”

As I hurried away from the angry General, I looked down the hallway to my right. I felt a hurricane of energy coming from it, and none other than the Dark Lord himself was strolling along it, twirling his lightsaber with the frivolity of swinging a fynock by the tail. I was not sure whether I should be scared or not; and then the oddest thing happened. I felt like I had been hit by a comet of calm; my heart rate going down, my mind going blank; I was so very confused. _“You’re fine.”_ I heard his voice as clear as day in my mind, and I stopped in my tracks. _“You shouldn’t linger in this area.”_ I took the hint and hurried off, knowing that the General was going to have a very, very unpleasant day. If he even survived. Which I wasn’t so sure about the latter; Kylo was on a hell of a bender and did not appear to be letting up on the crazy any time soon. I hustled back to my quarters, grabbed the mirror shard and held it tight, rubbing my thumb over it like a talisman. I had no clue what was going to happen next, but I knew it was not good. I just wanted Kylo to be okay.

\---Kylo’s POV---

I couldn’t believe he had the kriffing audacity to call her in. Upon looking at his mind, I realized he had been monitoring her datapad with a tracking chip and watching her with the footage of the security cameras; tracking when she entered and left my room. I’m sure it started off as a “we need to make sure the technician doesn’t die” type thing, but it quickly had turned into something much different. Now, he was using her as a weapon against me. When I felt her aura shudder in his office, I reached out for her. _“You will tell this insufferable air shrimp nothing.”_ Her words made me nearly laugh, but I knew she needed my help, or otherwise Hux was going to know about our arrangement. I could get away with random acts of destruction; this one just had to be bad enough to get him to notice. The benefit to Hux’s office being over the main hanger was twofold: One, I could spy on his private conversations by remaining close and letting my focus rest on his office above; Two, if I destroyed something in here, he would notice immediately. The closest thing to me was a TIE. Grabbing my saber and igniting it, I cleaved through the right side of the hull, narrowly missing the fuel tank and engine. The wing broke off and landed on the hanger floor, a massive thud shaking the surrounding walls. I flung the saber into the wall below Hux’s office, carving a messy line as I moved the saber with the Force. There were alarms blaring, ‘Troopers and officers were running towards the wreckage… until they saw me. Everyone in my path cowered, hid or just plain ran away. That was what I liked about Cora so much; even when I had my outbursts, she just stood there. _Like a boulder in a hurricane._ Nobody else had the fortitude to trust that I would not harm them when I lashed out. Hux was not about to take that away from me.

Making my way to that bastard’s office, I noticed her aura ahead. She paused just long enough to see me, and then the fear took hold of her. Did she think I would hurt her? I tried to project the calmest feeling I could conjure onto her, and then tried to reassure her. _You’re fine._ I wanted to make sure she heard it, and her halting entirely let me know she had. _You shouldn’t linger in this area._ I wanted her to know I was not about to harm her. Hux, however, had annoyed me for the last time. I saw her hurry away, and that was all the reassurance I needed. As I strode into Hux’s office, the red-headed prick was looming over his desk, face pinched, veins popping out on his forehead. “WHAT WAS THE MEANING OF THAT TIRADE?!?!!” Hux shouted, and I wanted to laugh again; the image of him as an air shrimp coming to mind. “I do not believe I have to explain myself to you. Ever. But I’d advise you never raise your voice at me again.” I was over his shit at this point, but I knew the Supreme Leader would not appreciate it if I decided to end the General’s life over this matter. Hux shrunk some, trying to regain his composure. “I do not think such wanton destruction is helpful to the First Order, Lord Commander. Try and be more aware of that the next time you have an outburst.” Hux spat, and I was amused. I turned and left his office, not even waiting for him to finish what he was about to say next. I did not need a lecture from him about my self-control.

As I walked through the corridors, I felt very compelled to go to her instead of back to my quarters. However, I talked myself out of it; this was not the time to be close to her, she already had enough pressure on her from the General. In addition to that, I wasn’t even sure what I would say to her. _Your welcome for destroying things so you could get out of his office?_ I doubted she would appreciate me admitting to that spectacle. However, I found destruction a perfectly logical way to avoid uncomfortable situations, and was quite fond of using it; as I had come to find that most people would not tend to ask me any further questions once I stuck my lightsaber into a wall. As I entered my room, I felt self-doubt creep up on me as the blast door closed. _What if my outburst scared her?_ That was my biggest fear. I wanted her to keep coming back; I wanted her to fix the things I broke just as much as I wanted her to fix me. I had felt so much better after she had showed up the night before; calmed me, patched me up and shared my bed. Now that I knew she wasn’t just attending to me because of her orders, it brought up a plethora of feelings inside me; ones that I didn’t even realize I had anymore. And I would be damned if Hux would get in the way of them.


	9. No News is Good News... Right?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our dear little Cora is beside herself because she hasn't heard from our favorite space goth in several days...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! I am sorry I haven't updated in a while, school got a little busy. As an apology for making you wait, I even added some smut! Enjoy, you heathens! Hopefully the next update will be a bit sooner, as I'm already starting on the next chapter. I want to thank everyone that has left kudos and comments; I feel so much love from you and motivates me to keep updating!

I hadn’t heard any news in days. No repairs to be made, no surprise meetings with the General; nothing. I presumed no news was good news, but I felt very unsettled. And alone. The last time we had spent together was chaotic and fleeting; he told me to leave for my safety. Was he angry at me for having to step in and cause such a scene? Part of me knew that was likely not the case, but I still felt terribly insecure. Did the meltdown cause him trouble with the Supreme Leader? That was my biggest fear. Perhaps he had been sent away, stationed on another ship and would not be returning. Ever. _No more panel repairs, no more mindless fucking._ I sighed and rubbed the small mirror shard, keeping the talisman with me at all times when I was in my quarters. It helped me to feel a little less alone, and it helped remind me of my strange connection to him. No matter how abnormal our relationship was, it was something, at least. I couldn’t remember how long it had actually been since I had a relationship of any kind; this strange situation I had with Kylo was helping sate more base needs. However, I wished I could be close to him. I was starting to think that I was beginning to get through to him, especially after going to see him the night he had a meltdown. I just hoped he was okay, wherever he was.

Dark. The ground below me was wet; reflecting the blackness like an obsidian mirror. I was cold, so cold my breath was visible in front of me. Wrapping my arms around my body, I wandered forward, my feet moving onward of their own volition. I was unsure where I was going, but something in the distance was calling me. Then, I saw a dark figure. My pace quickened; I was hopeful. He was crouched down, looking at something beneath him. “Kylo,” I called, my voice sounding weak and barely above a whisper. And then, I couldn’t move. He couldn’t see me; he was still looking down. He stood, his robes rustling around him, and I realized he was looking at his mask. It was cracked, badly damaged and slightly melted in parts. As he stood there, tendrils of blackness snaked out of the ground and began to swirl around him, but he seemed oblivious. The tendrils began to seize him, and then he flinched and began to struggle. I yelled for him, but the louder I tried to yell, the quieter my voice carried. The tendrils pulled him downward into the black water, and before he was engulfed, he looked at me. The fear on his face struck me to my core; his hand reached out and then he was gone. The water still rippled there, and then I heard a laugh. A horrible, throaty, monstrous chuckle that made my skin crawl. “He is mine.” The voice boomed, and then I felt a terrible pain in my skull, and a force hit me right in my chest, throwing me backwards, my body hurling away from the voice.

I awoke with a feeling of hitting my bed, jumping upwards at the sensation, my body drenched in sweat. I sat on the edge of my bed, and then I realized the strangest thing; my feet were damp. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and wandered into the refresher, turning on the light and looking down at my feet. They felt slimy, and there was some sort of black residue still clinging to them. I tried to rationalize why my feet were dirty, but to no avail. Turning on the shower and pulling off my sleep clothes, I decided a shower would be a marked improvement on my current state. The warm water helped me to wake up, clearing the fog from my head and letting me reflect on the strange dream. The words the formless voice had spoken resonated in my head, making me feel uncomfortable. Shoving the words away, I couldn’t help but wonder how Kylo was; if he was safe wherever he was. I had the worst feeling of anxiety when thinking about him, and my lack of contact with him was making things far worse. It had been nearly a week since my meeting with Hux, and I hadn’t seen the dark menace at all since that day. Wrapping myself in a towel and wandering back out into my room, I dressed in my clothes for the day and then noticed the alarm clock. 0455. Too early even for breakfast, just my luck. After dressing I decided a walk wouldn’t hurt, and perhaps going to one of the observation windows would do me some good. As I walked through the grey halls, I kept my head down and tried my best to quiet my mind. A part of my being wished that I still was on my old technician squad; I could at least talk to someone. Being a loner had its advantages; after all, I really did not like most people. But every once in a while, I just wanted some human contact. Kylo’s absence was making me go stir crazy.

After staring out at the expanse of space for what seemed like an hour, I decided to go to the cafeteria and see if there was any breakfast out yet. To my delight, some muffins had just been set out. I grabbed one, along with a caf, and then sat down to eat. The mess hall was still so empty; just a few custodial technicians at a table on the other side, eating quietly. The muffin was a little more bland than I’d hoped for, but it was food at least. As I sat sipping my caf, the mess hall started to become a little more crowded, so I decided to take my beverage back to my room. Walking back down the corridor to my room, I felt the oddest sensation; a ball of excitement and anxiety right in my chest. I shrugged it off as a result of the caf and quickened my pace back to my small quarters. The closer I got, however, the more the ball of nerves wouldn’t quit. I felt on edge, and I decided I would dump the caf out when I got to my room, as it was clearly making me jittery. As I typed in the code to my room, the door parted and I quickly went inside, shutting it and locking it behind me. Detouring into the refresher I almost didn’t see the dark heap on my bed. Almost. I stopped in my tracks, sat the caf down and backed, blankly staring over to my bed in the dark room, only the ambient light from my clock and my datapad lighting the room. I hesitantly stepped forward and the black pile shifted, Kylo’s face peering back at me. “I’ve been waiting for you. Where were you?” he asked, sitting up and staring at me. “I went to get breakfast…” I began, my mind running through “Why is he in my room” over and over like a broken record. “I have been away on a mission and I wanted to see you.” He stated plainly, standing and coming over to me. I just wanted to bury myself in those flowing dark robes; grab him close and not let him go. He placed a hand under my chin and tilted my face up to look at him. “I missed you,” he said quietly, his smooth voice making me want to melt into him, “I have been thinking of you every day that I was gone. I know our last meeting was… chaotic. I hope that hasn’t changed our arrangement.” “No, of course not. I missed you,” I squeaked out, hoping if this was a dream that he wouldn’t just disappear as I reached out for him. He kissed me passionately; the aggression that was laced in his affections previously no longer present. He stroked my hair and pulled me closer, and I could have died right in that moment and been happy. His tongue slid into my mouth and he gripped me tighter, moving me towards my bed. As the back of my calves hit the mattress edge, I went down instinctively, scooting backwards as he hovered over my body. My mind was lost in need, my fingers winding into his hair and pulling him closer. His kiss deepened; grew needier with each passing second. Clothes shifting, hands roaming and fabric being unceremoniously ripped off of one another and hurled across the room. He abused my neck with his teeth, his hands gripping my bare hips and his knee nudging my thighs apart. I obliged him, his body nestling in between my legs, a hand moving to grip my thigh, wrapping my leg around his waist. He sank into me, giving me little time to adjust to him before he started moving. My hands went to his shoulders and I dug my nails into his flesh, unable to stifle a cry at the pain of him entering me so suddenly. “Shh,” he cooed, finding my mouth with his own again, engulfing my cries as he thrust into me harshly. My pain began to turn to pleasure the more he moved, my body craving him. His pace quickened, he released my mouth and instead shifted above me, sitting up and grabbing my thighs, pulling my body towards his core. His hands squeezed tighter; I knew I would have bruises, but I was too lost in lust at this point to care. I gripped the sheets tighter, his hips snapping forward in a brutal tempo, my whole body shifting up the bed each time his pelvis met mine. “Mine,” he growled, his pace quickening, “You are mine.” “I am yours,” I responded, knowing that’s what he wanted to hear. “You will always be mine,” he punctuated the last word by thrusting as deep as he could, making me cry out as he hit my cervix. I felt a pressure on my clit and moaned at the new sensation; the unseen touch moving back and forth in the most stimulating way. My body tightened like a bow string as my pleasure grew higher, my release nearing. His thrusts grew sloppy and he finally spilled himself in me, snarling as he did so. I met my own high at the same time, clenching around him and milking him for the last of his seed, a loud moan tumbling out of my mouth. He collapsed onto his forearms above me, caging me with his frame. His hair hung down, tickling my face. I ran my fingers through it and met his deep amber eyes, wanting to stay with him, just like this, for the rest of my life. He pressed a kiss to my forehead and then pulled out of me, rolling over and pulling me onto my side with him. He nuzzled his head into my neck, and the intimacy he was showing me was overwhelming. “You need larger quarters. I can arrange that for you.” He stated bluntly, trying to get comfortable in my bed. “Oh, there’s no need… they’re fine for me.” I retorted, and he sighed heavily. “I have to leave again. Today.” My heart sank at his words. “Will you be gone for a long time?” “Two weeks.” His voice was filled with sadness, and I lightly rubbed his arm. “I will be here waiting for you,” I responded, and he tightened his grip. I grew tired in his arms, his steady breathing lulling me into a deep sleep.

When I awoke, he was no longer there. Part of me immediately assumed I dreamed it, until I felt the stickiness in between my thighs and saw long black hairs scattered around my pillow. I rolled over and looked at my bedside table, and I saw something unusual on it. A tiny purple crystal sat there, a black cord attached to it. I could nearly feel the energy radiating from it. When I picked it up, it seemed to hum back at me, and I slipped it over my neck, the stone resting in the middle of my chest. I felt contented as I moved the crystal back and forth between my fingers, the hum calming. I rather enjoyed his small gifts; this one at least one I could keep with me. The mirror shard meant too much to me and would stay safely in my drawer when I was not in my room. I climbed out of bed and decided to clean myself up, heading to the refresher. I poured out the now cold cup of caf and stared at myself in the mirror; my hair a tangled mess, bruises on my hips, a dark spot at the base of my neck from his teeth. I shook my head and took a second shower.

The datapad was beeping when I finished drying, and I knew it had to be an urgent message. I picked it up and my heart sank. It was from General Hux. I had to meet with him in an hour. I sighed and pulled on a fresh uniform, going back in the refresher and fixing my hair into a standard bun. I would have been content lazing around the rest of the day, burying my face into my pillows and breathing in the scent of Kylo’s shampoo. But of course, all good things must come to an end, and I was destined to deal with the air shrimp once more.

 _Reassigned. Reassigned? What the actual kriff did I do to deserve a reassignment? And to droid repair? Are you kriffing kidding me?_ I was fuming. My special privileges taken away. Special datapad, increased pay, flexible shift, going into the Commander’s quarters and being debased in glorious fashion… all gone. I stormed back to my quarters, too mad to even want to stop for lunch. The little crystal swayed against my skin as my footfalls contacted the floor, my attitude worsening as my mind thought of how angry Ren was going to be when he got back and I was no longer assigned to be his technician. And then I worried. _What if he mistakenly thinks I wanted to be reassigned? Oh kriff, he really would kill me then. Impale me, throw me out an airlock… No. He knows you’re with him. He’ll know Hux did it… Oh stars, Hux is going to be impaled or thrown out an airlock._ I looked at my new datapad and checked my work schedule. 0700 tomorrow morning was my first shift. It had been so long since I had a normal schedule. I sighed and slowed as I approached my room, my fingers on autopilot as I punched in the code. _Maybe normalcy will be a good thing._


	10. You Won't Take My Solace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kylo is missing Cora and dealing with his own inner conflicts, Cora is trying to adjust to her new job, and then Kylo comes back... and mayhem follows him. As per usual. POV switches are noted in the chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all, I was able to get this update out a lot quicker than the last one, which made me super happy. Comments and kudos are always appreciated! I hope you all are enjoying the plot so far, as the next chapters are going to get much more interesting!

\---Kylo's POV---

My hands were clenched in my lap; it was an unconscious habit I had whenever I was too on edge. Thirteen days had passed since I was on the _Finalizer_ last, and since I had last seen her face. Those pouty lips, her soft hair, her calmness. I missed it all. I missed _her_. My eyes slipped shut and I saw her vividly, wondering what she was doing right now. I was relieved to be leaving the Lothal Sector; Atollon was not a pleasant planet to visit, but the Resistance scum had to be dealt with, as they had had the nerve to attempt to use Atollon as a site for a new base. Atollon had vast mineral reserves that could be useful in future wars, so Supreme Leader was not about to allow the rebels to have the planet. I was sent there as insurance against such grandiose ideas the Resistance was trying to put into place. It was a small group of forces that had begun to amass there; nothing myself and several ‘Trooper squadrons couldn’t handle. However, after dispatching of the rebels, we were ordered to comb over their base in an attempt to gain new knowledge about the rebel movements. I had the delight in capturing and interrogating one of their commanders; that was at least a way for me to take out some of my frustrations. When I had been on Atollon, I often found myself in a state of anticipation, feeling like a caged beast. _A rancor._ A part of me knew it was because I was away from her, but I tried to push it away. I felt lonely; more so than I had before she arrived in my quarters and, subsequently, my life. If only I had a way to know what she was doing when I was away; I wanted to know how often I was on her mind. _One more day, and I will be back. And then I will have her again. She makes me quiet._ As much as I hated to admit it, after I saw her, I always felt _better._ I didn’t hear the voices as often, telling me I was useless or pathetic or a failure. When I was with her, I actually felt like I could just be myself. Whoever that is, at this point. I looked down at my hands, unclenching them and staring at the grain of the leather. _So much blood on these hands. Would she still feel the same if she knew how many people I’ve killed?_ Clenched fists again. _Is this my purpose in life? Will my efforts really bring order back to the Galaxy? I just want it all to stop._ Unclenching. The voice back in my head, whispering doubts. _You are useless. She will never care for you. Do you really think someone could ever love the monster you are? **Shut up.** You are meant to be alone. Attachments are weakness. **Shut up.** Not even your own parents loved you, and neither will she. **SHUT UP!**_ My hands were on my helmet, eyes squeezed shut, trying so hard to make it quiet. Dismissing myself from the cockpit of my shuttle, I locked myself in my quarters on the ship, pulling my helmet off and throwing it at the door. The helmet clattered to the floor and I stared at it for a moment before falling on my bed, hands over my face. The voice kept on, breaking me down farther, making me feel like I should just collapse in on myself until I ceased to exist. I moved over to my bedside shelf and plucked a small piece of fabric off it; it was Cora’s hair tie that I had stolen from her one day when I took her hair out of a bun. I rolled it back and forth between my fingers, hearing her voice in my mind, remembering the way she had told me goodnight the last time she was in my room. The way she said my name like it was a prayer. As I thought of her, the malicious voice faded away until it no longer tormented me. A heavy sigh escaped me; a day was still too long to wait.

\---Cora’s POV---

I grabbed my toolbag from the maintenance supply room, heading towards the main droid repair room. As much as I thought I would hate it, the job actually surprised me. I enjoyed my new coworkers; GH-5642 and DN-4908 were pleasant enough, and I could at least have unawkward small talk with them. GH was a female a little older than myself with thick dark hair and heavy glasses. She somehow always knew the best gossip and told excellent jokes. DN was a man heading to middle age; his receding hairline was telling. He took his job seriously but was a kind mentor, and he was very fond of Dejarik. He promised he would teach me to play, but still had yet to uphold that offer. It had been almost two weeks since I started this new job, and I was rather enjoying the set schedule and light workload. Most droids that were sent in for repairs were just in need of programming updates, circuit replacements or casing repairs due to an angry Stormtrooper. I missed Kylo every day, wondering when I would see him again. He had told me two weeks, but part of me feared it would be longer. I hated not having any way to contact him; always just waiting for him to show up or break something. However, this time, he couldn’t just break something to summon me. I sighed as I walked through the halls, thinking back to the day nearly a month ago when I first met that black robed mess. _My mess._ As much as he was terrifying, I knew he was really tormented. He really just needed someone to care for him. Part of me wondered what his past was like, but I knew that would likely be a conversation we would not be having any time soon. He was not a talkative person; I wondered if he didn’t like to talk or if he just really didn’t know how. Social interactions didn’t exactly seem to be his specialty, but I still cared for him all the same.

I was snapped out of my thoughts when I heard a chipper “Good morning!” from GH, my eyes meeting her smiling face. “Oh, good morning! Does it look like a busy day?” I replied, placing my toolbag on a workbench. “Not at all, just a few labor droids that need their programming updated and then an engineering droid needs a new processor. I think we might have a pretty relaxed day!” she responded cheerily, and I smiled. I started to pull my tools out of my bag when the door opened, DN walking in with a steaming cup of caf. “Good morning, ladies!” he said, nodding to us. He sat the caf down at the workbench next to mine; for some reason, it was the worst smell in the world. I brushed it off and tried to not think about it, but my stomach was in knots. I excused myself to the nearest refresher, taking a few moments to compose myself. I splashed some water on my face and neck, trying to get my attention on anything other than the urge to vomit. A few minutes later and the feeling passed, allowing me to return to my workstation. “You alright, FD? You looked a bit pale.” DN asked, and I waved it off. “Yeah, just have a stomach bug, that’s all.” I started on the first labor droid on my bench, grateful today was going to be a slow day, as I was already looking forward to curling up in bed. I hadn’t been sleeping well lately, which I partly was attributing to the weird dreams I had been having. That same voice had returned multiple times, warning me to stay away from Kylo. It was unnerving and I just wanted it to stop; I hated having dreams about bad things happening to him and me being unable to help.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” GH quizzed, lightly touching my arm. I flinched and pulled myself back to the present, trying to play off my distractions. “Yes, I’m fine. Just lost in my own thoughts.” I replied, wanting to just be left alone so I could do my work. Throwing myself into my tasks had always been my solace; the more difficult life was becoming, the more work was my tether to stability. This was one of those times that I really wished my coworkers would disappear, even just for a little bit. I liked my work, and the silence that came with it. Being questioned repeatedly about my physical and/or mental status was not doing me any favors; in fact, it was making me more irritable. I just wanted Kylo to come back so I could curl up in his robes, being engulfed by those strong arms and fall asleep to his breathing. That was the one thing that would make me feel better today. And I had no idea why I even felt so off today; but I just did. The more the day was progressing, the more I was feeling like a cornered nerf. When they started laughing and talking too loud, I lost it. I turned around and told them to be quiet in a voice that was less than pleasant, making them startle a bit and then stare at me. “Sorry,” I responded sheepishly, knowing I offended them, “I have a headache. If it’s okay with you, DN, I would like to leave early once I finish my tasks for the day. I think I’m just a little run down right now.” “Sure, as soon as you finish you can head out, it’s not like we’re busy. Perhaps a visit to Medical wouldn’t hurt?” he responded, and I thanked him for being understanding. It wasn’t long until I was finished; updating protocols wasn’t a time-consuming task, luckily. I packed up my tools and headed to the supply room to drop off my toolbag. My plan for the rest of the day was to curl up in bed and just be dead to the rest of the _Finalizer._

The next morning, I luckily did not feel ill, and my mood was a bit better. I apologized to my coworkers for my unpleasant attitude, which I was assured it was no big deal, as most people have “off” days. I smiled and was content that they were so relaxed; it was nice to feel like I was starting to fit in with this little maintenance squad. The day progressed nearly uneventfully, repairs going smoothly and in a timely manner, looking like we might get to leave early. And then, all hell broke loose towards the end of our shift. I had an overwhelming bad feeling, and then we got reports of major damage to several corridors, instructing all staff to avoid said areas. _Oh no. He’s back, and he’s pissed._ The bad feeling then turned into a tangible energy; that angry hurricane was heading right towards the droid maintenance room. I just hoped to the stars that my coworkers wouldn’t be met with unfortunate accidents.

\---- Kylo’s POV----

As the shuttle landed in the main hanger, my anxiety kept building, desperate to see her again. I swiftly departed my ship and went towards my quarters, a whole list of things to say to her running through my mind. _Hello, I missed you. I am sorry I haven’t seen you in so long, or contacted you. My mission was classified, and lengthy. But I am here now. I hope you have found the necklace pleasing. It’s a Dragite crystal I found in my travels. It reminded me of you. I really have no idea how to tell you exactly how I feel._ I strode into my quarters and grabbed my datapad, sending a message to her secured datapad. Almost immediately I received a notification that that datapad was no longer in service. I immediately hurled the device at a wall, pulling my lightsaber from my belt and destroying the group of panels that allowed me to regulate all settings for my room; lighting, temperature, humidity, all of it destroyed with a few slashes. I knew that this would immediately be reported to the ship’s operating system and she would be bound to show up soon. I paced back and forth, unsure what to do with the time. Everything I was planning to say to her just vanished, and I was once again at a loss for words, just like I usually was around her. I heard the door open and I turned to it, confused. Instead of Cora, there was an engineering droid. “Good afternoon, Lord Commander. I have been sent to repair…” the droid began, and that was it. It was a twisted hunk of metal nearly instantaneously, hurtled out my door and into the adjacent wall. _Hux, you are a dead man._

Everyone typically got out of my way, but when I had my lightsaber in hand, the hallways were void of all personnel. My anger would not quell, no matter how many walls I hit. As the blade hissed through the nearest durasteel panel, my mind was thinking of all the ways I would harm him. Hux, that bastard. He was going to give her back or I was going to break him into a thousand pieces. Supreme Leader would not be pleased, but I was not about to have her taken from me. She was the one thing in my life that seemed to make sense at this point, and I needed that stability. _Boulder in a hurricane._ I could feel the smug little prick’s aura in his office ahead; he was completely unaware of the day he was about to have. It was going to get very bad, and in a hurry. Waving a hand, the door opened, revealing the red-headed General at his desk. “Ah, Lord Commander, you have returned…” I did not allow him to finish. “Where is my technician?” I asked, my voice dripping with discord, lightsaber still activated in my hand. “I beg your pardon, but I don’t see why that’s import…” His complete disregard of my question did it. In a swift motion, his desk was cleaved in half, a smoldering ruin in his office. “WHERE IS FD-2313?!” I roared, shoving the broken desk to either wall with a flick of my hand. _Nowhere to hide now, Hux._ “I reassigned her! I did not think she was suited for the task, so she is now a droid repair technician!” Hux screamed, his voice high and full of terror, shrinking back as far as he could in his chair but too afraid to move. I was done with him. “You will reassign her to be my technician. Now.” I ordered, waving a hand at him and pressing the command into his mind with the Force, holding his datapad out to him. “I will reassign her to be your technician, of course.” Hux responded, nodding and taking the datapad, unlocking it and typing in things. I searched his mind and saw he had indeed complied, and I nodded. “Any time you feel like altering the way things are concerning me, I will destroy more than your desk.” At that, I turned heel and left his office, heading for droid repair. I would collect her myself.

“FD-2313.” I stated, and she looked at me and stood at attention. “Yes, Lord Commander?” she responded, no fear in her voice at all. The two other technicians in the room looked as if they were about to cower behind their workspaces; pathetic. “Come with me. Now.” “Of course, Lord Commander.” She obeyed without delay, following me out of the door. I heard a strangled gasp come from the female technician; no doubt thinking this would be the last time they would see her. Nobody needed to know the intricacies of our relationship. Half the time, even I was unsure of what those were. Stars only knew what Cora thought, but she followed me anyway, always there for me. My anger was fading as we walked, but I failed to realize she was nearly jogging to keep up with my strides. I slowed so she could keep up, internally cursing myself for not being more attentive to her. I was too caught up in my own mind to notice her needs. Waving a hand at my door, she followed me through and I locked it, pulling my helmet off and turning to her. I had so many overwhelming emotions as I looked at her, unable to even utter a word. She simply walked over to me, grabbed my robes and buried herself inside, wrapping her arms around me. “I’ve been waiting to do this for weeks,” she said, voice muffled by the fabric. I embraced her back tightly, basking in her calmness. “I made Hux assign you to me again.” I said, and she looked up at me, eyes wide. “So, I take it I need to fix those panels?” she responded, her voice giddy with a little smirk on her face. It was in that moment that I knew I loved her; I only hoped she felt the same.


	11. My Star

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cora's stomach flu turns out to be something a whole lot more serious; how will she handle it? And more importantly, how will Kylo handle it? POV switches are noted in the chapter, starts off from Cora's perspective.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy cow, I have had the premise for this chapter bouncing around in my head since I posted the last one! Thanks for being patient with my updates; if you notice any errors, I apologize as I do not have a beta, I do try and catch them before I post but sometimes I slip up. Thank you all for the kudos, comments and support for this story! Y'all keep me motivated to post more! I will warn you, the next portions of this story are going to get super angsty and plot heavy (apologies for the lack of smut, it will return eventually I promise).

I woke up in my bed the next morning and felt like hell; my stomach was roiling. I rushed to the refresher and vomited the contents of my dinner from the night before; my stomach still not satisfied with the emptying of the contents, leaving me dry heaving for several minutes. I couldn’t even think straight, sitting in the floor in front of the toilet for several minutes. When I finally scraped myself off the floor, I rinsed out my mouth with water and washed my face off, my eyes red and puffy. Despite the vomiting, I still did not feel better. Luckily, I had already repaired Kylo’s room the previous day, so I was free from work duties as of right now. I decided to go to Medical today; something needed to be done about this stomach bug. Pulling on a uniform and collecting myself as best as I could, I left my room and went down to the Medical Bay. Checking in and describing my symptoms in triage, I was taken back to a private room and asked a series of questions. First one: Are you sexually active? Blush crept up my cheeks as I said yes, and then I was asked if it was more than one partner and so forth. I immediately said no; I couldn’t even imagine myself with anyone other than him. Besides, I think if I even thought of someone else he would likely dispose of them quickly. And painfully. After more questions regarding my sex life, I was asked to give a urine sample, my vitals were taken and I was left to wait in the room. It felt like an eternity until the physician returned; she was a chipper woman in her 30s, brown wavy hair pulled back in a ponytail and spilling down the back of her white coat. “Well, I have some good news for you. You are pregnant, congratulations.” Her words hit me like a ton of bricks. “That’s impossible, I have been on a prophylaxis vaccine since I joined the First Order almost two years ago.” I literally had no idea how I could possibly be pregnant; my stomach began churning again. “Well, it seems as if it was ineffective for some reason. Perhaps you received a faulty dose? I apologize if this is overwhelming. If you would like to discuss options regarding next steps, should you not want to continue the pregnancy…” “No, I… I need time to think. Thank you, I think I should be going.” I began, and the physician stopped me. “Before I can dismiss you, we need to go over some education. You will need to take supplements for the health of your pregnancy. Also, you need to avoid caffeine and stress, if possible.” She handed me a bottle of pills and described information she was sending to my datapad that would help me learn more about the changes that would be occurring to my body. I was so scared; my mind would not stop racing. As I wandered out of Medical, I went back to my room and stared at my datapad. It contained all the information from my visit, the educational information regarding pregnancy and how to take care of my body during this time, as well as the information regarding termination options. I shuddered at the thought, but at the same time I was terrified. _What is Kylo going to think? Is he going to be angry? What if he doesn’t want to talk to me anymore?_ I cried hard at that thought, curling up into a little ball and pulling the blankets on my bed around me, wanting to just forget about everything. Sobs wracked my body hard and I couldn’t control them; hot tears streaming down my face and vision blurring. I ended up falling asleep on my tear-soaked pillow.

I heard a noise; shuffling, my door opening, and then my bed dipping down. “Cora.” Kylo’s voice was unmodulated. I didn’t answer. I was shaking like a leaf; what was I going to tell him? “Cora, you have been hidden away in your room and have ignored my messages. I have wanted to see you. What is wrong?” he asked, pulling the blanket off my head. My eyes were red, puffy and I did not want him to see me like this. I rolled away from him and literally had no words; I couldn’t bring myself to tell him. “Cora. We need to talk about this.” I froze at these words; did he know? “Of course I know. Your Force aura is… different. There is something else there. I can feel it. Why are trying to hide this from me?” his voice sounded hurt. I burst into tears at this. “Kylo, I… I am so sorry. I was on prophylaxis, this shouldn’t have happened. I am so scared. I didn’t know what to say because I don’t know how you feel…” Strong arms wrapped around me, and he shushed me. I felt that calmness hit me again; he was projecting that onto me. “I am here. I am not mad. I don’t want you to think I am going to leave. I want this, because I want you. And I want you to move to my quarters; no exceptions. I want to make sure you are safe. And you need to eat today.” I nodded into his robes; I was not about to argue with him. He stroked my hair softly, placing a light kiss on my head. “I will not let anything happen to you, or the child. You are mine.” His voice was soothing and my crying had stopped at this point, but I was still scared. “Is this really what you want? I mean, we barely know each other…” “Yes, I want this. I know you are scared, but I will protect you and our child. We have all the time left in our lives to get to know one another.” His reassurance was everything I needed to hear right now.

\--- Kylo’s POV---

I knew she was terrified. When I had went to her yesterday, I knew something was different about her. Embedded in her Force aura was something else; like a little blip, barely there but obvious to me. It felt like my own aura. She was also feeling ill, but was trying her best to put on a smile and deal with it. Because of this, I did not think it wise to be intimate with her, no matter how much my body was craving her. It was excruciating but I wanted her to be well and not feel pressured to please me. Instead, after she fixed my room, I kept her with me for a time, holding her close and listening to her heartbeat. When she grew too tired, I sent her back to her room despite her protests. I knew she needed sleep, and if she was in my bed, it would be far too tempting. When I felt her ill this morning, I worried. When she went to Medical and I felt her fear, it confirmed my assumptions. I tried to contact her multiple times on her datapad, however, she was not responding. This caused me to worry more, and I decided it would be best to go to her. Entering her quarters, I saw the little lump under the blankets and knew she was trying to hide from everything. This, however, was something we needed to discuss. She needed to hear that I wasn’t angry, and that I wanted to be there for her during this time. The idea of having a child was frightening, but made me excited at the same time. With her, I was okay with this happening. I was not about to tell her, but part of me had willed this to happen, as I knew she would always be mine if she was to have my child. It was selfish, but I was not going to let her get away from me.

Holding her close to me, I felt her fear and anxiety crashing over me like waves on a shore. Her sobs were wracking her whole small frame, and I just wanted to take her fear away. I focused hard on projecting as much calm possible, as I was actually thrilled about the idea of having a child with her. However, I needed her to be close to me. I requested her to move into my room, and she nodded in agreement. This made me happy; I could keep a close eye on her and make sure she was taking care of herself during this time. When she mentioned us not knowing one another too well, I paused at the thought. How much of me would she accept? I told her we could get to know one another in our days to come, but my mind began wandering. I felt fearful. _What if I told her of my past and she feared me? What if she fled, keeping the child from me as Padme had kept Vader’s children from him?_ I pushed the notion from my mind and remembered that this was Cora; she was from Dathomir, one of the harshest planets in the galaxy, and she had never showed fear of me. Of all the people to stumble into my life, she was probably the one person in the galaxy that could handle me, even at my worst. She already had once, tending to my broken bits and making sure I was safe. The least I could do was return the favor and ensure that both her and our growing child would be protected. Nothing was going to prevent us from being together. “I will send a droid to collect your things to move to my quarters.” I stated, and she looked up at me. “Okay,” she said, and then moved to her bedside table, opening the drawer and pulling something out. I knew immediately it was the mirror shard; she had indeed kept it. It seemed more worn than before, and I had the feeling she would rub it often. I was on her mind more often than I had ever thought. I wanted to tell her how I felt for her, but I still had no idea how to verbalize those words. Love was a foreign concept to me, but I was feeling how I imagined love to be. To make matters worse, I had nobody I could speak with about this situation. Who was I to tell, Phasma? _Yeah, hey Phasma. Just wanted to chit chat. I think I love this technician, and she’s carrying my child now. Any advice on how to tell her I love her and not terrify her?_ Social isolation had its drawbacks, that was for sure.

\--- Cora’s POV---

I followed him back to his quarters, my mind still racing. His words had made me feel worlds better; not only was he supportive of me, but he was ready to be responsible and provide whatever I needed. I knew there was no point in hiding our situation now, but sadly, I still had no idea what we were. Sure, I was carrying his child, but how would I define _us_? That was something I was unsure of. Despite all the times we were together, I still knew nothing about him. He was one shrouded mystery; a temperamental broken thing that needed to be handled with special care. If he would let me in, I knew I could put him back together. Fixing things was my purpose in life, and by the stars I would fix Kylo Ren no matter how long it took me.

Back in his room, he pulled his helmet off and sat it down, looking over at me. He looked uncomfortable, shifting his weight. I wondered what he was thinking about right now, and as if on cue he looked to me. “I would like to know more of you. I have not been… social with you. That has never been a strong suit of mine.” He stated, russet eyes cast downward. I walked over to him, took his hand and pulled him over to the couch. “Well, I’m from Dathomir, as you know. My family was quite poor, and I knew the best chance I had in life was to leave and join the First Order. War provides a steady paycheck, at least. I haven’t been back since, and that was over two years ago. Part of me is glad to be away from the place, but I do miss my family from time to time. I send communications home every few months, letting them know how I am. They are proud of me for serving the First Order.” He stroked my hand with his thumb, lost in thought. “And… of me?” He asked timidly, eyes moving to me and then quickly down. “No. I felt it was likely best to keep that between us. Nobody else knows about us, except General Hux. But that’s just because Hux is a nosy bastard.” I said, casting him a smirk. “I see.” He said, looking to the far wall. “Does that offend you? I will tell them, if you’d like. I just wanted to make sure you were okay with that, before I decided to start telling others.” He shook his head, and I frowned. A sad light returned to his eyes, and I wanted to just take him in my arms and tell him everything was okay. “What’s wrong?” I asked, moving closer. “You wouldn’t be ashamed to tell your family of me?” he quizzed, eyes filling with tears. “No, gods no! Why in the kriff would I ever be ashamed of you?” I said, nearly horrified. “Because I’m… a monster.” He said, turning away from me. I took his face in my hands and made him look at me, his brow furrowed as he tried to fight back his tears. “Shh. I want you to know that I accept you just as you are. Broken things need more love than perfect things. And I was always fond of the rancors on Dathomir. You don’t scare me, and I’m not going anywhere.” He wrapped his arms around me and sobbed violently, burying his face in the crook of my neck. I stroked his hair and started humming a song to him, one that mother used to sing to me as a child. His sobs lessened, and I decided to actually start singing. I felt so unsure of myself, but I knew he was vulnerable right now, so maybe him seeing a vulnerable part of me wouldn’t be so bad. “My star keeps me company, and leads me through the night. My star watches over me, and fills my dreams with light. Some things change, but some things shine forever as they are. In the sky, shining high, my star.” He gripped me tighter when I finished the little lullaby, his sobs ceasing and now turning into silent tears. “My mother sang that song to me when I was young. It always made me feel better, I just hope it makes you feel better too.” I said softly, still stroking his hair. “You have a lovely voice,” he said, voice muffled in my uniform before he finally sat up. His eyes were puffy, his lips were quivering and he looked as fragile as the night I found him on the refresher floor. I touched his face and gave him the most reassuring smile I could offer, hoping to give him solace. “I will sing for you whenever you feel like this. You have my word.” He nodded, wiping his tear-streaked face with the back of his gloved hand. “I would like that, very much.” He responded, meeting my gaze. In that moment, I felt he was just a little less broken than before. _One small fracture of his being realigned, several thousand more to go._


	12. Whatever It Takes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Snoke finds out about Kylo's relationship with Cora.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for being patient, sorry this one took so long to add. This was a hard chapter to write. Because of the content, I will add the following warnings prior to reading this chapter: Major violence, major character death, and miscarriage. I am so sorry, this chapter is super angsty but was necessary for the plot. Thank you all for reading!

_\---_ Cora's POV---

Moving in with Kylo was not without its stress; he liked his things kept a certain way, and adding my things to his room caused some tension for him. He assured me it was fine, but I could tell he was simply stating that to appease me. Our evening was quite silent; I could tell he was unsure of what to do. Instead, he urged me to rest after ensuring I ate all of the dinner he ordered for me. The next morning, my stomach felt as if it had tied itself in knots, and I rushed into the refresher. I tried my best to not be too loud, but it was inevitable. He followed me in, started to lean down and then stopped. He seemed absolutely lost. “Sorry,” I mumbled, and he was just a ball of tension. “Perhaps you should go to medical again. This cannot be normal.” I stated, and I shook my head. “Morning sickness is normal. I’ll be fine.” I said, sitting back against the wall and hoping I wouldn’t vomit again today. I could tell attempting to comfort someone was way outside his realm of normal operations, so he excused himself from the refresher and instead paced back and forth in his room, face tense and deep in thought. “Kylo,” I called, trying to get him to stop, “I’m fine. Please stop worrying.” At this, he left the bedroom entirely.

He seemed to have an innate fear that every day, something was going to happen to me. The list of his concerns were typically along the lines of: vomiting could not be normal, what if I got too ill and passed out when he wasn’t around, perhaps I should just stay in medical so they could monitor me, you will not go outside without me. In addition, he only destroyed things outside of his quarters at this point, so my days were quite boring, as I had no job duties to perform. Instead, I busied myself with reading the material the physician sent me along with keeping his room tidy. It was an odd living arrangement, especially when he was gone on missions. I was going stir crazy. However, Kylo would hear none of this; he kept assuring me that I needed to stay where I was safe. _It’s the Finalizer, probably the safest place in the galaxy. I wish he would just stop being so damn afraid._ To make matters worse, he rarely told me about himself, but frequently asked me questions about my family, Dathomir, my childhood, and anything else he decided he wanted to learn about my past. It was a little frustrating to me, as I just wanted him to open up to me. _I don’t bite._

“Kylo, we need to talk.” I stated one evening, gaining a slight scowl from him. “I want to go out of this room at some point. I’m going insane, especially when you are gone. I’ve been in here almost three weeks at this point, and the only interaction I have is with you. Not saying that’s a bad thing, but you aren’t the talkative type. So, one of two things; either let me out of here at my leisure, or I want to hear about your life. I’ve already told you most of mine, but you never tell me anything about yours. I’m carrying your child, I think I deserve a few answers about you.” I said, flopping on the couch next to him and trying to give him the most pleading look I could muster. “You are not to go out without me. We have discussed that. And secondly, I have tried my hardest to leave my past where it belongs, and that is behind me. That’s the end of this discussion.” He then got up, put his helmet back on and stormed out of the room, locking the blast door behind him. I was beyond frustrated at this point. _Why is he so kriffing difficult? I am literally going to have his child. I think he could be a little more warm and fuzzy with me._

_\--- Kylo’s POV---_

_I know she’s frustrated. I need to keep her safe. I hate doing this to her. But if I let her in, Snoke will know. He is already asking me questions. He senses I have started to become attached to someone; it concerns me. I can’t tell her that, she would be terrified and the stress may harm her and the child. I will protect her._ My mind would not quiet, no matter how many things I destroyed. _I love her and I wish I could tell her. She means everything to me._ I continued my rampage but still found no solace. Instead, I decided to go to one of the observation decks. Staring out at the stars always helped me to find my inner calm. As I watched the passing stars, I heard a voice in my head, but also distant. _You need to tell her. I was never good at telling your mother how I felt, either. Sorry you got that from me._ I froze, knowing that voice all too well. I looked around, but nobody was there. I resumed looking out the window, and then I heard it again. _She needs to know. You’re going to drive her away if you don’t do something soon. Please don’t make the same mistakes that I did._ And just like that, the voice was gone. I tried to keep my feelings even, but it just wouldn’t happen. I went to my personal training room, curled up in the corner and cried. I really wished I had someone I could talk to about this. The last thing I wanted was to drive her away.

Trying to pull myself out of the pit of despair, my communicator beeped. Looking at it, I was sent into a new fit of rage. I was to be sent on a mission for the next week and a half. _I’m going to miss her eight-week appointment. I want to know what they say about the baby._ Igniting my saber, I slashed up the wall closest to me. I was seething at this point. I headed back to my room, and I made a decision. _It’s now or never. If I leave for nearly two weeks and don’t say something before I go, she’s never going to forgive me._ Opening the door, I found her sitting on the couch, staring blankly at the wall. She wouldn’t even acknowledge me. Pulling off my helmet, I went and sat down next to her. “I’m sorry,” I began, the words falling thickly out of my mouth, “I don’t think you understand how much you really mean to me. If something were to happen to you, I would never forgive myself. I want to make sure you are safe, but I’m suffocating you. I… have never felt like this before, and it’s hard for me to process. I-I… love you, Cora.” She looked to me immediately, eyes lighting up and then curled herself up against me. “I forgive you. I know you worry about me. I worry about you too. Because I love you too, and I have for a while now. We’ll be okay, I promise.” I cried hard at her words, pulling her close to me and wondering just how I managed to get her to love me. I was very content, but it wouldn’t last long. “I have to leave on a mission. I’ll be gone for 11 days. You can leave the room whenever you want. But please, be careful. And I want to know how your appointment goes as soon as it’s finished. Send me a message immediately.” I said, and she nodded. “Please, be careful. I’ll miss you.” She said, and I hated that I would have to leave. But it gave me solace in knowing that she would be waiting for me when I returned.

\--- Cora’s POV---

Six days into his mission, I had my check up with the physician. Everything about the pregnancy was going perfectly fine, my diet was appropriate and baby was growing as expected. I was happy, and I knew he would be too. I sent him a message, hoping it wouldn’t distract him from whatever mission. Heading to get lunch, I managed to bump into GH in the cafeteria. She looked as if she had seen a ghost. “FD! You… you’re okay… When we didn’t see you anymore, we thought the worst. Especially after the Commander came to get you.” She said, staring at me wide-eyed. “Oh no, I’m fine. He’s harmless under the right circumstances, really.” I said, waving it off and going to grab a tray. She just stood there staring at me until she finally shrugged and walked away, shaking her head and mumbling to herself. It gave me a little bit of pride knowing that people couldn’t wrap their head around Kylo being nice, as I got to see that side of him. And nobody else did.

After lunch, I went back and was lazing around in his room when my datapad beeped. I picked it up and looked at it, and it was an unusual message from an unknown sender. It read: “An escort will be sent to collect you in thirty minutes. You are expected to be promptly ready.” _Weird, maybe Kylo was coming back early and wanted me to meet him in the main hanger? But why would he send an escort?_ I pushed the thoughts from my mind and readied myself to be collected for whatever reason. In the back of my mind, I felt an odd nagging sensation that something was wrong. _It’s just hormones, it’s fine._ I tried to reassure myself, but when the escort came, I did not feel reassured at all. Two Praetorian Guards awaited me, and the fear that struck me was insurmountable. Oh kriff, these are Supreme Leader Snoke’s bodyguards. _I have heard of them. Oh stars, this is not good. Not good. Kylo, wherever you are, please for the love of god help me._

Boarding a small shuttle, we left the Finalizer and went to lightspeed. I knew that we were likely headed to Snoke’s command ship, the _Supremacy._ I was terrified; even my palms were sweating. The Praetorian Guards said nothing to me the entire time, not even when we docked in the _Supremacy’s_ main hanger. They simply herded me outside the shuttle and down a long corridor to an elevator. I had the worst feeling of impending doom. _Perhaps if I run now, maybe I can survive for a little bit?_ My instincts were screaming at me, and the only thing that kept repeating over and over in my mind was that I needed to protect the child. After exiting the elevator, we came to a set of doors. One of the Guards opened it, and before me was a massive throne room. There, in the middle of the room, sat Supreme Leader Snoke wearing the most detestable smile. _Oh kriff, I’m dead._

“Come forward, child,” Snoke’s voice boomed, and I complied out of sheer fear. After hearing his voice, I was even more terrified; it was the voice in all my nightmares telling me Kylo would never be mine. I kneeled, bowed my head and did not move. “How long did you think it would go unnoticed?” he quizzed, and I said nothing, too afraid to even get my mouth to work. “My best apprentice, Kylo Ren, turned into a pathetic thing all because of YOU.” He shouted, standing, “You have made him weak. You have allowed him to slip farther into the Light. But, you shall help me fix that. He will be here, soon. And when he witnesses your death in front of his very eyes, he will be forced to acknowledge his errant ways and will fully embrace the Dark Side, which is where he belongs. Your death will be the catalyst to send him over the edge.” I was too terrified to even cry, feeling frozen in place and waiting for Kylo. Of all the things that would amount to the worst imaginable, I whole heartedly believe that dying in front of the person who loved you would be the worst. _Gods help me, because I sure as hell can’t help myself._

\--- Kylo’s POV—

When the message came through to report to the _Supremacy_ , I was scared. As I got closer to the ship, my fear was only confirmed. _She’s here. Why is she here. Her aura is terrified._ I knew Snoke had her. This was the worst fear that I had been holding; my attachment to her would get her killed. I stalked through the halls of the Supremacy to the throne room, knowing each second I delayed was only sealing her fate more. I would try to reason with him, perhaps he would send her away from me. _He’ll only do that to take the child when it’s born, and then he’ll kill her._ I was growing more enraged. There was no way I could let him harm her. When I opened the door, it was chaos.

“Did you think you could continue to hide your whore from me?” Snoke yelled, and I could not contain my emotions. The only thing that my mind kept repeating was a simple command. _I’ll die for her if I have to._ In that instant, Cora was off the ground, Snoke’s hand outstretched and keeping her suspended. “Your failure is the cause of this. Do not forget your place, boy.” He began projecting Force Lightning into her being, the room crackling with energy. She screamed, and that was it. I outstretched my hand, and one of the Praetorian Guard’s vibro-voulges flew through the air, impaling Snoke. Snoke gurgled, looked at me in horror, and then Cora hit the ground. I was enraptured in rage; leaping forward, I severed Snoke’s head. I looked back to Cora, only to see a Praetorian Guard about to execute her. I rushed forward, blocking the blow with my saber and putting myself between her crumpled form and another charging bodyguard, no doubt trying to finish Snoke’s last command. Pain erupted in my back as the blade of the electro-bisento ripped through my robes and flesh, but that only urged me to fight harder. _She’s unconscious._ One Guard down, and then another. _I need to get her away from here._ A third red-clad body on the floor. _She needs medical attention._ As I fought two more, my mind snapped. _The baby._ My rage erupted like a volcano, and with it, my Force powers. The entire room in front of me was bathed in the glow of fire, a single ball of light growing over the throne. In an instant, it exploded, shredding the room in a massive detonation and obliterating the remaining guards. The only things left unharmed in the room were Cora and myself. I rushed back over to her and touched her, her body limp and her mind unresponsive. _She has a pulse. I need to get her away._ I carried her from the wreckage of the room, and was immediately met by a Stormtrooper squadron. Freezing all the blaster fire in place, I sent it back at them, dispatching them quickly. Making my way to the main hanger, I spotted a small shuttle that was being prepared for take-off. Making quick work of the unarmed crew, I carried Cora inside. I was so concerned with her, I had no idea I was being shot at. Two blaster bolts hit my back, one dangerously close to the already deep wound from the earlier fight. Knocking the troopers away with the Force, I closed the door and rushed to the cockpit, sending the craft reeling into space as quickly as I could. Entering in coordinates, I put the shuttle into lightspeed. Going back to the personnel area of the craft, I tried to rouse Cora. Her pulse was still there, but weak. Pulling my helmet off and cradling her listless body, I spoke softly to her and prayed to the stars that she would hear me. And then, I was terrified. I felt a warm dampness on my thigh, and I looked down to see that she was bleeding profusely. I tried to find the source of a wound, but there was none. Using the Force, I reached out for her aura. _No. No. No. Not like this._ The second aura that she had been carrying with her was no longer there. I cried harder than I ever had in my life, holding her tightly and wondering how I was going to ever face her again after this. _It’s all my fault._

As the ship came out of lightspeed, I rubbed my bleary eyes and went back to the cockpit of the shuttle. Picking up the communicator and staring at the planet below, I knew I had to swallow my pride and do what was right. Cora needed help, and I was going to make sure she got it no matter what. “I wish to speak with General Leia Organa. Tell her Ben Solo is surrendering.” A garbled response came back, and then I heard her voice for the first time in almost a decade. “Son,” she said, and I could hear her crying. “There is a woman with me who needs significant medical attention. My only request is that she is treated and unharmed.” I stated, not caring for my well-being at the moment, only concerned with Cora. “Understood,” she said in response, and I shut off the communicator. Setting the shuttle down on the landing strip, I gathered Cora in my arms and opened the shuttle door. I was terrified, because the woman I loved was barely clinging to life at this point, and still hemorrhaging. _They have to save her. I can’t live in a universe without her._ When the door hit the ground, I looked up and met my mother’s eyes. “Mom,” I said, and I couldn’t fight the tears anymore.


End file.
